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Post by skyeknight on May 8, 2018 0:30:21 GMT
"I know. Control is really important, but you can't just hold back in a life or death situation." Axel explained. "So we work on your control and then your ability to attack."
He sighed, contemplating how to best help her do that. This was truly important that she learn how to fight back if she were in danger. He simply built up his control by constant use of his power. He was also fighting during the Black War. He had to fight to survive. He wouldn't force that on Adeline. Could the same be done for her? He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. Teaching was never his forte but it appeared he had gotten in over his head. How to best help the little witch?
"We could... head to the city dump? And have you use up magic to destroy the junk there," Axel said.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 8, 2018 23:15:59 GMT
Adeline sighed. "I don't know. Would practicing on inanimate objects really help me face the real thing?" It was easier to distance herself when blowing up an old car or a pile of cans. But everything always came rushing back when going up against another person. She felt at just as much of a loss as Axel did. "I need to get past this mental block on my own. Nobody else can really do it but me," she said. "Let's just...go over some basic stuff so I at least know how to throw a decent punch. The rest will just have to...click into place at the right moment." The bad thing about mental blocks was that nobody could really solve the problem for you. You had to do it yourself. And that was what Adeline had to do. Until then, knowing some basic moves would at least move her one step closer to being more capable of defending herself.
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Post by skyeknight on May 9, 2018 14:44:52 GMT
"Alright." Axel said. "Basics. No magic for now. We'll have to work our way up to it."
He let the fire die away but he could still smell the smoke and ash that lingered when he usually let his fires go. It took him a few seconds but he managed to get himself back down to a tolerable (and hittable) temperature. No need to have Adeline scald her fingers trying to punch him. He walked back over to her. She had a hard time attacking people, but he wasn't going to give her much of a choice. She was going to hit him whether she wanted to or not. It sounded rather creepy of him to seek being hit, but this was what she wanted. He also doubted she would be able to do him any actual harm until she truly started to try to hurt him. She needed to learn to defend herself which meant hurting her attackers.
"Get into a fighting stance and punch me." Axel told her.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 10, 2018 0:04:59 GMT
Axel agreed to what Adeline wanted, and it made her remember why she'd chosen him to help her. Axel didn't ask too many questions or put too much pressure on her. Adeline knew what she wanted to do, and he was willing to go along with it. Although she had promised to explain more about Pitch and his habit of helping her with her demon problems. Maybe she'd save that conversation after they'd trained a bit. She knew she'd have to mention her and Pitch's relationship during that time, and she didn't want to drop that on Axel in the middle of a fight. She got into a stance, making sure she wasn't off-balance. Then she threw out her fist in a punch. It didn't have as much hesitation as her last one, but it still wasn't quite professional. Any punches or kicks had been self-taught on her part. Any training she'd had in fighting with her magic was mostly in using her power to fight for her. A simple sweep of her arms, or a stomp from her foot, and her magic power burst out and attacked whatever was near. But Adeline hoped if she had a few moves down, it might help her improve when she was actually fighting with magic.
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Post by skyeknight on May 10, 2018 1:24:06 GMT
Her punch barely made him take in a breath. It was one part weak due to her human body and perhaps lack of physical activity (or lack of the right one to build that particular muscle) and partially due to how she threw the punch in the first place. Axel then stepped forward, taking her hand in his, fixing her stance and her posture. At least she knew not to tuck her thumb under her fingers when she punched. Otherwise, she would be nursing a broken thumb. Once he was satisfied, he stepped in front of her again.
"Hit me again," he told her.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 10, 2018 23:29:33 GMT
Adeline could feel herself getting frustrated, but she told herself not to get so upset about it. She wasn't great at this, it was why she had called Axel over here in the first place. Still, she hated looking so weak. Being weak meant being a burden, and she was afraid of weighing down the people she cared about. Axel helped her get into a better stance, and when he instructed her to try again, she threw her punch with a little more force. She just wanted to do one thing right for once. Was that too much to ask?
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Post by skyeknight on May 11, 2018 13:23:08 GMT
Her second punch was much better. They would work to build up her strength. He'd likely send her home with some 'workout regimen' to keep in tact for the days they couldn't get together to work on her skills. Still, she was human. So her hits didn't particularly cause him a lot of damage. She was trying though so that had to count for something. With this, he hoped he could lead her through the process of how to use what she had to her advantage. She wasn't physically strong so she couldn't use sheer might to intimidate her opponents. But she had magic on her side.
"You're human. Naturally you're not as physically strong as a demon." Axel said. "So... what do you have that most other humans don't?"
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 11, 2018 22:49:58 GMT
"I feel like magic is the only thing I have that sets me apart from other humans," Adeline replied. "That's the only reason I've survived this long. Before Thrax, I was this dork who buried her nose in spell books and tried to master everything I could get my hands on. I wasn't really concerned with fighting. Then I summoned Thrax and suddenly my life was in danger and I had to change how I learned magic." She gave a sigh. "It's worked well enough to keep me alive, but it didn't work so well at keeping others safe. So many other people got hurt when Thrax was around. Yang, Weiss, Pitch...I don't want that happening again when Ariel comes here. I want to be stronger so other people don't get hurt again."
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Post by skyeknight on May 13, 2018 1:31:12 GMT
"Then what's to stop you from mixing magic and your fighting?" Axel asked. "Humans are weak compared to demons. You can hit me all day and I won't have a bruise to show for it."
He knew she would hate that he said it like that, but that was how it was. Demons could take a beating. It was part of the whole eternal damnation or whatever bullshit. Either way the point still stood. Adeline needed a different tactic than brute strength. She was a smart kid. Smarter than him even. But fighting wasn't her forte. It was his. So she would have to get creative if she was ever going to out maneuver a demon like him.
"So what little magical tricks do you have up your sleeves that we can work with?"
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 13, 2018 17:25:22 GMT
"I've tried. But there's always this...fear, that I can't get rid of," Adeline said. "You know me. 'Guilty' is practically my middle name. The idea of me hurting someone or someone getting hurt for my sake...I can't stand it. I mean, just look at what's happening now! Even with Thrax gone, he's got a crazy ex-girlfriend that can hurt anyone I care about if she feels like it. So many bad people are coming around because of me." She suddenly stopped, wondering if she'd said too much, or if Axel would even understand. He'd probably done some bad things while working for Cruella, but he didn't seem too bothered by it. Heck, he could talk to her without getting scared. Adeline could never do that to an enemy of hers. Every encounter she'd ever had with Thrax always left her petrified. And meeting Ariel had made her brain imagine tons of horrible things she could do once she made her way to Bellerouge. Axel asked what magic she was good at and she thought for a moment before answering. "I can...do this." She lifted up her hand and focused on her power. Magic energy immediately surrounded a trash can nearby and it lifted easily into the air.
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Post by skyeknight on May 14, 2018 0:35:30 GMT
"Listen, I get it... You're scared. But not using these skills of yours to protect yourself is like suicide." Axel said. "But you and I both know you're not going to hurt innocent people. The people who are trying to hurt you will stop at nothing to do it. So you need to survive."
He knew this was hard for her and he was trying his best to teach her, but he wasn't the patient type. The most he had ever taught was when working with his employees on how to maintain the bar. But he also didn't want to see Adeline get hurt. The kid was one of his patrons, which ultimately meant that Axel was going to be in her corner no matter what she did. If it meant he had to teach her how to fight, then he would teach her how to fight. All in the name of keeping her safe.
"That's good. You can use it as a distraction." Axel said gently. "Throw as many objects as you can at your target."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 14, 2018 1:37:39 GMT
Adeline let out another breath. She knew Axel was right. She couldn't afford to be timid when there were people out there that literally wanted to kill her. She hadn't hesitated to throw everything she had at Thrax if it meant escaping from him. She couldn't hold back when she faced Ariel. Besides, she had Pitch's Nightmare by her side day and night now. She'd felt sure that together, they could hold Ariel off if she ever found Adeline during a vulnerable moment. Adeline just wanted to make sure she was ready and wouldn't blow up half the city trying to fight Ariel off. "I know. It's me or her. And if she ever did come after you or anyone else...I wouldn't hesitate then." It seemed like those were the only times where Adeline wasn't afraid to use all her power. She still remembered the rage she had felt when Thrax had hurt Pitch. It had been bad enough that Thrax had run off, and the memory still gave Adeline the heebie-jeebies. Axel instructed her to throw as many objects as she could at her target and she hesitated for a split second. Could Axel handle all that? Then she shook the thought away. She wouldn't suggest it if he thought she'd end up hurting him. So, without any further prompting, she used her power to chuck the trashcan in Axel's direction. Her magic instantly latched onto the next nearest object, which happened to be a bench, and she threw that as well. Then she finished it all off by throwing Axel a sign that listed all the things that were prohibited inside the park.
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Post by skyeknight on May 17, 2018 16:26:00 GMT
"Well, think of it this way, how would people feel if something bad happened to you? Your parents? Your friends?" Axel reasoned.
She followed his instructions, lobbing things at him, but one at a time. He could move and sway through them, the only thing that caught him was the sign - the very last thing. While that smarted, it wasn't truly enough, but she was getting the hang of it. So at least Axel could say one thing was going right. She was improving and taking his advice. If it really came down to it, would it be enough? He wanted to believe so. Though a more logical side of him didn't want her going out alone. Safety in numbers. It's what he told his girls who worked for him.
"Good. But you'll need to throw them faster, harder and more at once." he advised.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on May 17, 2018 23:46:02 GMT
"They'd feel...sad," Adeline admitted. She knew her loved ones were worried about her, especially Pitch. If he lost her...she didn't even want to think about what might happen. A brief image of him going postal and wrecking everything in sight flashed in her mind before she pushed it away. She didn't want to imagine Pitch like that. It reminded her too much of how she'd nearly lost control when Thrax hurt him. On the flip side though, she finally managed to do something decent fighting-wise. She winced when the sign clipped Axel, but he didn't seem to mind. If anything, he praised her for it. Still, she needed to be faster, and throw more things at once. She knew that required less hesitation, so she just let her magic latch onto the first thing she found, which happened to be a large tree with numerous branches attached to the trunk. With multiple loud snaps, several of the branches were broken off, and they were thrown forward like javelins.
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Post by skyeknight on May 21, 2018 12:52:16 GMT
"Exactly, so when you're fighting, you're not just fighting for yourself. You're fighting for them." Axel explained. "No one wants to lose you, kid."
It was why Axel was there. Adeline told him some crazy ex of Thrax's was back with a vengeance - a thirst for Adeline's blood for what happened to the man. It was stupid. Adeline hadn't killed Thrax. Cinder had. Adeline was just as much of a victim as anyone else. This other demon was just delusional. But considering that she was also Thrax's girlfriend, that didn't account for much in the sanity department. Still, he would have felt better if Adeline had a weapon on her. Something that strengthened her magical powers, like a focus. He knew some witches used wands, but a feeble little stick in battle wasn't likely to help Adeline.
"And who's to say this psycho chick you're scared of would stop at you? What if she went after people you care about? So... you gotta stop the fight and end all other fights when you deal with her." Axel said.
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