En Garde [Lui/Gabe]

Keeping well into his promise, Gabe decided to pay a visit to the club meeting hours of the fencing committee that Lui was in charge of. This would be a fair visit to the world of Lui Sato, a skill he was familiar with and an organization that he was in charge of. Seeing the man in action might be something worth watching, with Gabe hoping at the back of his mind that he would find something interesting. Knocking on the door first, Gabe would announce his presence before proceeding.

"Excuse me.."

As Gabe knocked on the doors to the Fencing Club, the door would be opened by a short freshman with sandy blond hair known as Arthur. Looking him up and down, he steps aside to let Gabe enter the room. There were two boys watching the mats with an older woman presumed to be the instructor of the club. One with rougher, long brown hair around Lui's age glanced at the newcomer with a half-frown for a second while the other, looking older than the rest, got up to approach Gabe, hand extended.

"Ah, welcome to the Fencing Club. I don't believe you're a student, so you're probably here for the Captain. He's in the middle of a match with Bosco right now, so it'll only be a moment. My name is Erin, senior member of the club and, admittedly, second ranked in skill among the student members. The short one is Arthur, this fellow is Gus, and here is our faculty instructor Ms. Kamizura."

As every member bowed lightly at their introduction, Erin invited Gabe to sit and watch the end of the match between their captain and Bosco. The two got into position and started their round. They both moved with dynamic force and fluidity, reaching to parry and thrust at each other. While both were masked, the fencer on the left seemed more aggressive, stabbing at the other with precise, swift strikes. The one on the right countered each blow with grace and speed, slapping their foil to the side with a quick flick of the wrist or a twirl of the blade as they went in to counter. The two kept this up for some time, shuffling forward and back with their blinding speeds of attack before the one on the right daringly bolted forward, creating an opening with a parry and touching his blade to their chest just as the other planned to disengage.

Both participants removed their masks, revealing Captain Lui as the winner of the match. He patted Bosco on the shoulder, smiling and ruffling the boy's dark brown hair. Lui's eyes immediately settled on Gabe as the other boys slipped on their masks to begin dueling each other.

"You made it! Welcome to the Fencing Club, Gabe. It's not much, but these guys are some of the best swordsmen I've managed to train. Well, Erin was in the club before me, so he has his own experience. Anyways, if you're interested in coming around for more meetings than today, I can make you a strong fencer as well. Now then, let's start with what to train you with..."

Lui sets three swords before Gabe; one is the thin and bending foil, the other is the thicker epee blade, and the third was a pointed blade with a cutlass-like grip known as the saber.

"Which one do you want to start with?"

Nice to meet you all, but I think I should correct you guys one thing. I'm actually a third year at the seven stars academy. I might look like this and carry myself in a certain way, but twenty-one years of age don't necessarily mean that I'm a trespasser. "Gabe would say as he flashed his student id to the rest of the group. It was valid and had the appropriate class and year on the id as well, along with a picture of Gabe without glasses. After the small introduction, Gabe was led on over to watch the match between Lui and the other individual that lui was sparring with.

"Lui, wouldn't miss it for the world. However, it seems that my aura gives off a more adult feeling than i have anticipated among my fellow peers. " Looking at the three swords, Gabe picked up the thicker eppe blade. "I'm rather interested in this one. "

Lui blinked a bit in surprise as Gabe presenting his student ID. Considering his position as casino manager, 21 was a pretty young age to consider him. Then again, Lui would certainly seem older than 16 to most people, especially when stacked next to Sumi. He would have to keep an eye out for him in the hallways. The other members reacted in mild surprise but quickly accepted the older student, returning to their matches. Lui nodded to Gabe as he glanced over his student ID.

"Third year, huh? Well, you're pretty mature compared to the other third years around the school. Heck, I'm only a second year. But whether you were a student or not, you were always welcome to stop by. Now, you're going with the epee? Alright, this is a little different from the foils you see more often. It's a bit heavier and the guard over the grip is bigger, but you can get the hang of it easily. Do you think you can move around freely in what you're wearing? Here, we'll get you suited up. You'll need a vested uniform, mask, glove...

Here, you can get suited up while I get another mat strip ready."

As Lui waited for Gabe to get vested, he decided to move one of the torso dummies beside him, taking off the red vest around its torso to leave it in its normal vest. Lui would hand over the club epee, keeping his in his right hand as he patted the dummy.

"Alright, let's start with your grip. Grip it like a bat to start, but you point your index finger towards the guard. This'll keep your aim straight. Go ahead and try it out. Just point it at the dummy and try aiming at the torso. I'll show you the lunge once you get a feel for it."

"Yeah, I thought I told you that? Sorry, I guess I'm a piece of work eh? " Gabe would say this as he picked up the Epee and swung it around away from the others. "Yep, I could feel the weight on my wrist. This must be a very tactical sport if you have three weapons to choose from. I guess it's the point of being well versed in all of them so you would be able to change depending on the fighting style of your opponent, correct?"  Right or wrong, Gabe was rather interested, heading to the corner to get dressed quickly and secure the rest of his belongings before heading back to where Lui was.


"Alright, so it was something like this right?" Gabe would say as he took a hold of the grip and pointed his index finger towards the guard. "All of a sudden it feels a little easier to handle...."

"Heh, it's alright. I enjoy pieces of work from time to time." Lui commented as he watched Gabe swing the epee like an edged blade to get a feel for the weight. Even though all the blades in fencing were pointed as opposed to edged, they all had different manners of use, from moves to perform to strike zones. Keeping them all sorted out in one's mind was a basic fencer's necessary knowledge. As Gabe came back from changing into the vest, Lui stood opposite him, holding his own epee at his side.

"Right, like that. One handed grip, finger pointed forward, and now all we need is the stance. Being well-versed in all blades helps when it comes to different competitions. They each have shared moves, attacks unique to them, and different strike zones. Fortunately, an epee's strike zone is the entire body minus the hand holding the blade, so I'll be serving as your target for this class. Alright, I'll show you the lunge then use it on you. Once you think you got it, you'll use it on me. Get your mask on and I'll start."
Getting back into his swordplay mentality, Lui slipped his mask on and got into his stance. He quickly kicks his front foot forward, pushing off with his back leg in a swift rush forward. With his front foot now catching him as he squatted down in his lunge, his epee blade sliced through the air and pointed upwards towards his foe's unseen chest. He then started performing the move on Gabe, poking at his chest with the first few touches and finishing with a lunge hit to the mask. He then stood back in his stance, motioning for Gabe to start attacking.

You serving as my target? Are you sure that it's completely safe?" Gabe had some similar flashbacks to sword training with Ree, that chick was pretty much ruthless and there was no sort of mercy when it came to her actions and whatnot. "Well, at least you have some protective gear, or else i wouldn't really agree to it. The last thing i would want is for you to get hurt, you know? " Gabe was a little adamant about both of their saftey as they went on over to the main area to start the practice. As Gabe put on the mask he would then watch the motions of lui, pointing at Gabe's chest and finishing off with a point at Gabe's face.

"Oh, alright...." Gabe would then try to mimic the moves, but alot more slowly than lui, taking is time with the points and not putting alot of force into it. Gabe was a bit of a slow starter, but that was how he learned.

"Naturally. Unfortunately, we don't have full body dummies to work on, so you'll have me be your full body target. Besides, much as I could claim you wouldn't be able to harm me with the training blade, much less touch me, it's always safe to wear the vest and mask."
Lui remained in position as Gabe slowly but carefully mimicked his movements. It would take some time to get the feeling for the attack, but Lui would maintain his position, acting like the immobile dummy he was for the moment. Once Gabe started getting into a comfortable rhythm, he would give short suggestions on improving his form before starting to parry his moves.

"Good form. Don't worry about getting it down right away. It takes time to get into the proper form. But we might as well move forward, so let's discuss countering the lunge. You counter a straight attack with a parry. Point is to force the opponent's blade to the outside of their body. Not the direction that forces the foe's arm over their body, the one that pushes the arm away from the body. That leaves the body wide open to a riposte. Keep thrusting and I'll show you how to parry and riposte. Then I'll attack you and you start parrying."

Wow, I think I found a new form of appreciation for this art. I never knew of the details or the complications of fencing, but I do know that its footwork Brucedopted by bruce lee himself.  Just with a little taste, I can now see why. " Fencing was fast and precise, leaving Gabe to wonder what he could gain by practicing the skills.  He continued to thrust as directed, trying to keep his movements to be controlled. "What made you choose this sport? I have to be honest with you, ive been trying to figure it out for quite some time, natural talent?" Gabe would say this as he continued getting into a rhythm

While his face wasn't visible under his mask, Lui was certainly beaming with an unusual grin stretching on his face. For once, somebody was not only seeing the artistry of fencing firsthand, but complimenting his skill and the opportunity to learn it. Hearing Gabe's expressions gave Lui a jolt of energy as he started his assault on Gabe, making more precise and swift thrusts but keeping it pointed in the same square of Gabe's chest.
"Talent? I believe so. Natural? Hardly. I could barely muster a decent touch starting off. Only reason I got into it was because of my... brother. I was getting tired of kendo for the few months I did it, so we took the next swordplay lesson on the dojo's list. Fencing was a tough start, but once I got the hang of it, it really clicked with me. Plenty of long days and long nights to get to where I am today, and in my mind, I have just as much to learn as you."

Once the man began countering his parries as Lui thrusted, Lui decided to demonstrate his counter riposte. In a flash, his guard circled around the top of Gabe's guard, the blade circling to force Gabe's blade on the outside once more. With a push on the sword's guard, Lui attempted to touch Gabe's chest as he kept the blade pointed from his body.

"Excellent! Of course, if all it took to score the touch was a single riposte to a parry, matches would be over fairly quick. What I just did was a circular parry into what we call a counter-riposte. It's essentially the same as the parry, but you have less time to react. Once your foe's knocked your blade aside, you need to get their blade point away from your body pronto. After a few rounds of that, I can set you up with a fencing partner to do some sparring. Anyone catch your eye?"

"Your brother, i feel as if that's the mystery family member that I haven't heard you talk about yet. It was mostly your sister, but it seems as if there are a lot of things about your brother that you look up to. That's good..." Gabe would try to parry the strikes a bit in an amateurish way. However, he still didn't lose his enthusiasm, continuing to swipe away at the attacks that Lui have started to unleash upon him. This really did seem like a fun activity to practice with. "Tired of Kendo? Well, little do you know, i managed to run into the kendo instructor of hell a few days ago. Quite beautiful, but consider your life on the line if you ever want to spar with her. " He wondered how Rui was doing anyway?

"Oh, for sparring? Well i'll take your recommendation."

Lui fell eerily silent at the mention of his brother. True, Lui looked up to his brother quite often and wanted to be like him as he got older. Kei was brave, athletic, and had the mental fortitude to go up against anything. If he could see Lui now, would he be proud of what he saw? It was the answer Lui would never receive.

"Yeah, I really looked up to him. He was a real sports star in school, so I wanted to excel in a sport to prove I could be like him. Kendo didn't have the right feel for me, but fencing fit right at home with me. I believe I've seen this kendo instructor you mentioned but haven't had the chance to speak with them.

Now as for your partner, let's try... Erin. You two seem fairly matched in stature and personality, so it's a good place to start learning."

Lui would swiftly move off the mat and call for Erin to spar with Gabe. The two talked in whispers to each other, Erin nodding and glancing at Gabe as they approached. Erin's cool and confident composure was on display as he spun on his heel to face Gabe once he was in position, drawing his epee with a short flourish and sliding his mask over his face. Once both fencers were prepared, Lui would start the match.
"Gabe, you'll have right of way to start, so you're on offensive. En garde... Pret... Allez!"

"Well, it's always good to mix up the exercises every now and again. You'll never know, you might be exercising a different set of muscles that you never thought that you had, or even noticed using. Well, if that makes any sense, I guess you can consider it as a recommendation. "

After being set up with a partner in order for him to practice his moves on and have a good training session done, Gabe would take on a similar fencing stance with his eppe blade. Squatting down and then thrusting forward, Gabe would somehow make not just one, but two light jabs towards the man's chest. He made sure not to hurt his partner, but wanted to capitalize on his natural handling skills.

Strength

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"True, fencing alone won't work my whole body. I prefer cardio and agility training more than growing muscles, despite Kei's nudging... I'll take the recommendation into account."

Lui stood as the referee of their match, watching Gabe thrust with two successive strikes. Both he and Erin were just as surprised when Erin realized he had little time to hit both. Deciding to save himself the risk, Erin stood ready to parry the first strike and disengage from the second attack, shuffling back to get out of the range of the epee. Keeping an eye on the line he was not to pass, Erin stopped his back foot immediately and bolted to Gabe, tapping his blade to provoke a parry . Whatever Gabe did after having his blade tapped, Erin leaned in to lunge at his stomach.

Having a clear watch at Erin as Gabe's first attack was attempted to get parried, the man had readied himself to use his god given quick footwork to shuffle his feet to the left side without passing the line in order for a near miss. In a way, Gabe would then perform a lunge of his own in order to aim for a blind spot of erin with a soft touch. It was a bit unorthodox to attempt such a high degree of evasiveness, but Gabe was hit before , and it instilled his willfulness to act as quickly as he thinks.

strength

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