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Break Hold
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:13 am
by Hakon
There was something between them that hadn't been there before they'd sparred; Hakon felt it. He wasn't sure what it was, exactly; articulating emotions was not his forte, but whatever it was, he liked it. He'd acceded to Ajax's offer for more music that evening, and found himself looking forward to it. Once he realized that much of what Ajax said was not meant to be serious, he found himself laughing quite a bit after the requisite beat where he puzzled out if what Ajax was saying was serious or not. Much of the time, it wasn't, but automatically laughing at everything would just mean he wasn't really parsing what Ajax was saying at all, which didn't seem fair to either of them.
He changed out of his torn trousers, glad that he had Ajax to do his mending. While he was capable of sewing up rips and tears, his manual dexterity with needlework wasn't the best. If it was smaller than his throwing stars, it wasn't the easiest to get it to where he wanted it to go. For the afternoon's training, he decided to remain shirtless. Close combat was sweaty work, and he saw no reason to make more laundry for Ajax.
He returned them to where they'd practiced that morning. There was enough grass that they wouldn't just be rolling around in the dirt, which was good, and the ground was decently soft, which was better. While Hakon could practice grappling on stone, it was not his preferred substrate for such activities.
"Right. We're going to work on a far more dangerous situation this afternoon: holds, pins, and escapes. First, some basics. Your choice of weapon puts you in danger of being grabbed because you have to get in close in order to hit someone with it. Generally, people inexperienced in combat won't want to do that. They'll see the blade and be too scared to get close. That's good," he said, looking Ajax in the eye. "Keep them close enough to slash, but too scared to get closer."
"The reason for this is if someone like me is facing off against you, someone bigger than you or stronger than you, and it's a one-on-one fight, what I'll try to do is get your weapon away from you and then get close enough to get you in a hold so that you can't get it back into your hands. At that point, a fight is fairly straightforward: stronger, more experienced person will usually win unless something unexpected happens." He took in Ajax's stature and felt compelled to add: "While that may put you at a disadvantage in close combat here in the Four Kingdoms where men tend to be on the larger side, unexpected things happen all the time in combat, and there are many other factors to consider, like other people coming to your aid, improvised weapons, advantageous terrain, and so on. One of the things you'll want to do in a real life combat situation is keep your opponent on edge and guessing. For now, though, we're going to practice the worst case scenario for you: you've been grabbed by someone bigger and stronger than you, there's nothing at hand you can use to turn the tables on them, and your only choice is to grapple, avoid a pin, break a hold, and escape."
"So let's start with falling. You never want to end up prone, but what you want even less is to fall badly and end up breaking a bone or ending up unable to carry weight on one of your legs."
So saying, Hakon showed Ajax the stance and then fell to the ground a few times, demonstrating how to use the tricep and shoulder to cushion the blow and distribute the force of impact.
"Ideally, you can recover from a fall, like this."
Hakon fell again and executed a serviceable if not overly graceful backwards roll that he used to regain his footing.
"That's harder to do, but if you're interested in learning, I can walk you through the basics and help you relax into it. The trick is to trust your body and let momentum carry you so you don't land on your neck."
Re: Break Hold
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 1:52 pm
by Andros
While lunch was enjoyable and his chores a mindless distraction, Ajax was agitated he and Hakon walked out the area Hakon identified for training. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and fidgeted with his dagger as he listened to his instructions. He was nervous that he’d do poorly or get hurt or freak out, yet at the same time equally excited to prove himself and try something that might be fun. It was confusing, but he tried to put it all out of his mind and follow Hakon’s lead.
The mage’s points about Ajax’s relative stature were well-taken. He knew he could never defeat a larger, more experienced combatant in a fair fight, all things being equal, but there was more to it. When Ajax came to this country and realized how much smaller he was than the other men, he was forced to develop a set of skills to compensate. He leaned on them heavily when he was on the road by himself. Grappling and dagger-wielding weren’t on list just yet, not yet, but he could count on several other talents: talking his way out of trouble; winning over potential enemies; keeping his head down to avoid violence; hiding; enlisting larger men to protect him; and running away. He was a quick runner.
Obviously not all of those would be relevant in the close combat situations he would find himself in with Hakon. He imagined they would be in some criminal’s lair and Hakon would try to kill the villain, who would presumably fight for his life with whatever magic he had. Talking and avoiding trouble would not be helpful, but he could stay behind Hakon, come out as needed to support him and, if that failed, he could bolt.
On his first attempt to fall with grace, Ajax ended up simply sitting down hard on the ground right where he stood. He laughed as he stood up. “Well, that wasn’t it.” A second attempt, after more coaching from Hakon, was relatively successful. He landed on his butt again, but this time was able to transition into a roll that put him a few paces away from his trainer. The third time he got it right, landing on his arm like he was supposed to and then rolling quickly.
“There we go,” he said rather proudly. “Did that look right?”
Ajax was starting to get sore already. This was going to be a long day, but they’d have another pleasant evening in recompense. He rubbed his back as Hakon gave further instructions.
“Every time I see you I end up with a sore ass one way or another, don’t it?” he said, unable to turn off the flirting even while they were training.
Re: Break Hold
Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2023 11:39 pm
by Hakon
Hakon flushed at Ajax's comment and shifted uncomfortably. He had fond memories of giving Ajax a sore ass. Very fond memories, actually, that he'd felt drawn to reminisce about on many occasions long after the lad had stolen his money and left him. The memory of what Ajax had done to him had not faded, either.
Ajax was just joking, but it made him feel... well, it made him feel, period, which in turn made him feel like a fool. He knew Ajax wasn't being serious. He was being teased. He just didn't know how to respond.
So instead, he just looked at Ajax and said: "Not bad for a first attempt. Do it seven more times."
Ajax frowned at him, clearly thinking he was being an exacting boor for no reason. So he got into position and fell backward, and rolled, or attempted to. Hakon watched it happen: his back stiffened and he arrested his own momentum by accident, ending with an abortive roll of his shoulders that didn't have the force to carry him over.
Hakon shook his head and helped Ajax up.
"Not as simple as it looks. Don't get discouraged."
He demonstrated it again, slowly. This time, he called out what he was doing at each step that led up to the roll, adjusting his arms and legs so Ajax could see. Then he got up and completed the roll before doing it backwards so Ajax could see the same motions at the same speed for what to do once the roll was complete.
"Got all that, lad? Now try again. Go slow, if you want, I'll catch you so you don't land on your neck if you're not performing to speed."
That seemed to reassure Ajax, who looked to make sure Hakon was ready, then obligingly fell to his back before executing a roll, or half of one. Hakon put out an arm to stop him when his legs splayed out too much, sapping the momentum of the fall enough that he might hurt his neck. Ajax nodded at Hakon.
"Again," said Hakon.
Ajax nodded, sprang up, and tried again. This time, he did better. It was barely fast and coordinated enough, but he completed the requisite motion. When he got to his feet, he did so with a flourish that made Hakon chuckle low in his throat.
"Most improved of today's trainees, for sure," said Hakon with enough earnestness that it hopefully undercut the fact that Ajax was today's only trainee.
He went on to perform the requisite motion with increasing skill and speed, culminating in doing three in a row quite well.
"You're graceful, lad. Unsurprising, but good to see," Hakon said, smiling alongside the compliment to demonstrate that it was sincere. "Alright, good lesson. There's a front roll, as well, but that's more for dodging a projectile or similar. and will see less use than a back roll in these circumstances. Still, since we did back rolls, let's do this as well."
As before, Hakon demonstrated the roll showing how to do a controlled forwards fall, going down on one knee with one arm out, then putting it to the ground to drum up the moment to use it as a fulcrum to roll.
"You can chain this one together and keep the momentum going quite easily," he said, executing three in a row before finding his feet. "Useful if you suspect your opponent is throwing more things at you while you're off your feet or if you just want to get more distance between you and them. There's also a two armed version which offers more control, but it's harder to perform under pressure, so I think we'll skip it for today, if you don't mind."
As before, he came back over to Ajax and demonstrated it at half-speed, showing him evertything up to the actual motion and then everything afterward.
"Alright, Ajax. It's your turn. Show me what you got. Once you show me some rolls with good form, we'll start on grapples, holds, and pins."
Hakon tried to ignore how the thought of holding Ajax down made his heart beat faster.
Re: Break Hold
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 9:05 am
by Andros
Hakon was good at this. Really good. He pushed Ajax hard but it felt like a challenge to do better, not an attempt to hurt or humiliate him. Hakon didn’t make Ajax feel small or weak, but encouraged him and instructed him until he got it right. And he led by example, taking his own falls as many times as Ajax did.
The comparison was obvious. This was just like learning from Pappa. The baffling friendship between the dour, intense mage and the gregarious, good-natured older man made a little more sense now. Hakon and Andros were both born to coach, apparently.
Fell was a lot of fun, but he had no special talent for educating children. He enjoyed teaching his offspring to play instruments, to sing, and to memories the ballads and epic poems of his homeland, all of which Ajax loved. But he always seemed bored teaching anything else, whether academic or more manly skills. That was better than Dorothea, of course. She’d pinch you every time you got a letter wrong and never explained anything, just expected you to understand immediately, as she always did. Once he mastered reading and basic arithmetic, he avoided her lessons. Fell tended to back him up in that decision.
That left some big gaps, and Pappa filled them. He believed in your potential hard enough that you believed it too. Whether that was swimming or pearl diving or sheep shearing. Ajax wasn’t the best or most enthusiastic learner, nor even close to the favorite grandchild. Still, Pappa put more than his fair share of time into Ajax’s education, probably to compensate for his father’s shortcomings. (Shortcomings was a word Fell always loved to throw into conversation when the topic of Andros came up, incidentally, much as Andros delighted in giving the Oxenfrey household furniture Fell could never comfortably fit in every time there was a special occasion.)
Ajax didn’t appreciate it at the time but with hindsight he was grateful that he had not one but two men who cared for him and guided him. If there were a good version of daddy issues, Ajax had them in spades. Hakon was tapping into some extremely positive feelings, and that helped compensate for how much all the falling hurt.
And hurt it did, though Ajax tried not to show it. One fall after another on the hard ground as it took him a long time to get the hang of things. He would ask Hakon to heal up his bruises at the end of the day, he decided, if only so that the next day riding and fighting wouldn’t be torture.
Hakon’s decision to move on to the next activity was greeted with relief. But Ajax held up a hand to stop the mage when he began getting into position to demonstrate.
“Give me a second to catch my breath. You’re riding me pretty hard, Hakon.” The innuendo would not stay in his head, it had to come out. “Though I recall you prefer it the other way.”
It was a little mean teasing Hakon like that. The man was too awkward for it, but the way his pale face turned bright red as he struggled for a response was funny and almost adorable. Hakon didn’t leave him to twist long though. He took some deep breaths, then slapped Hakon on the back in a friendly way.
“Relax, Hakon. I’m just playing around. Thanks for being so patient with me today. I’m ready when you are.”
Re: Break Hold
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 10:20 am
by Hakon
It was definitely awkward now, but only because he was making it that way. Ajax was being normal, or normal for Ajax, which seemed to involve a lot of smiles and flirting. It was Hakon who couldn't keep up, though Ajax was the one who was out of breath.
Hakon said nothing. Anything he said would make things worse. He ignored a part of himself that wanted something, and decided to press on with the training.
"Right," he said. "So if we were worried about you being ambushed, we'd practice an assailant coming at you from behind and either knocking you to the ground and beating on you with a short-range weapon like my mace, or restraining you and trying to garrote or stab you, which would be more in line with an assassination. That latter is unlikely, but possible. It would be more likely if you were an important figure that people wanted dead. In this case, though, we're walking in to subdue rogues, so they're more likely to try the former method."
"Rogues tend to be sneaky," Hakon said, trying and failing to keep the anger and excitement out of his voice. "Once they realize that they can't easily escape, they'll often resort to subterfuge, such as hiding in plain sight and then ambushing you once you pass by them unawares. So I think we should start with that. We'll be at a disadvantage trying this because in an actual combat situation, your opponent will likely be closer to your size than me, but nonetheless, it's worth trying. So here's how it'll happen. Turn your back to me."
Once Ajax did so, Hakon nodded.
"Now begin to walk, slowly. I'm going to grab you from behind and attempt to pin you. Feel free to do whatever you can to stop it from happening. Fight dirty if you wish. There's no honor in fighting for your life, so if you can get a groin shot or a throat jab in, that's on me for giving you the opportunity."
Hakon watched Ajax's posture carefully. The lad tensed up, then seemed to relax. Perhaps he was telling himself this was just practice, which it was. It would be lunacy to spend all morning training with Ajax and then kill him; if Hakon had wanted to murder him, he'd had ample opportunity to do so countless times over the last four days. He let Ajax take a few steps before coming at him quickly and quietly on his toes to reduce the noise he made.
Instead of tackling Ajax, which would have been easy and likely an instant round finisher, he hoisted an arm under his ribs and squeezed, knocking the breath out of the smaller boy before he fully realized how close Hakon was to him. Then, he used the momentary shock that generated to push him to the ground and fall heavily atop him, his hands finding Ajax's neck but not squeezing as his weight kept the smaller boy pinned.
"I think you're dead," Hakon said, before getting off of him and carefully helping him to his feet. "Let's try again."
Re: Break Hold
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 12:55 pm
by Andros
Hakon was correct that this exercise spooked Ajax a bit. He didn’t think he was about to be murdered, though. He was confident Hakon wouldn’t hurt him. It’s just that he was concerned Hakon’s definition of ‘hurt’ might not be the same as his own. Considering Hakon could heal many injuries, even perhaps serious ones, Hakon could return Ajax home in one piece after having broken an arm or a rib. He could have him patched up in time for dinner, but it still wouldn’t be fun.
It was nerve wracking knowing he was going to be attacked from behind, but Ajax forced himself to relax. It didn’t help when he was grabbed hard, had the wind squeezed out of him, and then shoved to the ground. It was shocking and unpleasant, and feeling those hands around his neck helped nothing, even if they didn’t squeeze. Ajax was lucky Hakon got right off when he did and hauled him to his feet. It took him a few seconds of gasping before he caught his breath and was able to speak. That had been a rough one, and he’d done poorly.
“Sorry, I can do better,” he said, somewhat embarrassed. “If you do it like that again I think I can do better. I’ll be ready.”
He walked past Hakon again, trying not to tense up in anticipation of the attack but instead focusing on exactly what he’d do when it happened. First an elbow backwards into Hakon’s face, or his stomach if he couldn’t reach that. Then, if Hakon got him on the ground, flipping over and kicking as hard as he could to knock him off balance.
It was a good plan and he did make a better showing than last time, but Hakon was just too fast and too big. Hakon got him around the ribs again and squeezed. Ajax kept his breath this time and lashed out with his elbows but couldn’t find a target. It was only a second before Hakon had him on the ground. This time he remembered what he’d learned earlier and was able to scramble onto his back to face his opponent, which made Hakon smile. He even smiled as Ajax flailed his legs and kicked him square in the chest, but he didn’t slow down.
Almost instantly Hakon was on the ground with him, kneeling on his chest with two hands around his neck. They weren’t tight, but it didn’t matter. Seeing Hakon on top of him again and feeling those hands sent Ajax firmly into panic mode. He tried to shout but couldn’t find his voice, not from the pressure on his chest but from fear. All he could do was whisper.
“Please, Hakon, you’re scaring me. Please let me go.”
Re: Break Hold
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 12:10 am
by Hakon
Hakon shook his head. He got off of Ajax, and backed away, keeping his distance. He looked at Ajax impassively, waiting for the boy to catch his breath and get up.
"This is the part, I think, where I'm supposed to tell you that it's okay to be scared."
Ajax looked at him with an expectant expression on his face.
"It's... I don't suppose there is shame in being scared. This is life or death stuff we are training for, and that is scary. I know you're taking this seriously. I don't think you are being lazy. I just wish you weren't scared of me," Hakon said, looking away.
"You can be scared of combat, or of this scenario. You are not trained for this, and you won't be after a single day. Neither of us are so naive as to assume otherwise. I am doing my best to teach you because you need to know how to protect yourself if I can't protect you. My hope is that none of this is all that useful on this trip, because if any part of if it becomes useful, it means I have failed in my promise to Andros to keep you from harm. I just hope that what's scaring you is the idea of being attacked, not being attacked by me, because I do not plan on attacking you ever again. Just like, I assume, you do not plan on stealing from me ever again."
He sat down on the ground, and arms splayed out to the sides. It was about as casual and non-threatening as he could look without flopping over and showing his belly. He patted the ground nearby; an invitation to sit with him if Ajax weren't so wary of getting within arm's reach that he refused.
"Your problem is that when you get scared, you tense up and freeze. It's okay to be scared, but to stay still and go limp is to invite death. If you're ever grabbed by an assailant, Ajax, and I am not there to help you, or I can't help you, don't give up. Thrash, scream, bite, and kick. Make them pay for it, even if all you're doing is buying yourself time. If that doesn't work, then snivel, wheedle, grovel, and beg. Flatter them, lie to them, confuse them, offer to betray your allies, if you must. Do whatever you need to do to stay alive. Then, you wait for the situation to turn in your favor, and you take your one chance at a plan, whether that's to hit them back, to call for help, or to run away. Focus on it, wait for the right moment, and then take it."
"Being scared is not a problem, but being paralyzed is. Do you understand?"
Re: Break Hold
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:50 am
by Andros
Ajax could predict a lot about Hakon. He could be counted on to take things seriously and to keep his promises. But never would Ajax have guessed that Hakon could say exactly the right thing. Ever. Well, if you asked him to identify mage marks or compare and contrast l the Jorikford sword stance and the Vestrian style he’d get it correct. But to absolutely nail it in a seriously charged emotional minefield? No, it must have been a hallucination.
The second Hakon got off of him, Ajax stopped feeling afraid. He’d expected to panic when Hakon had him completely helpless. Of course he would after what happened the other day. But he also knew Hakon would get off him when he asked. In his bones, he was sure of it. And Hakon did, without hesitation.
Ajax would have been content to just ignore his embarrassing behavior and move on, but then Hakon was honest and genuine and gave him good advice. He didn’t scold or whine or put his foot in his mouth. He spoke from the heart. Now he was sitting on the ground trying to radiate docility. Ajax wanted to reciprocate, to radiate trust. He sat down right next to Hakon, grabbed Hakon’s arm, and put it around his shoulder. He couldn’t say it more clearly with words: I trust you. I forgive everything. I want to be your friend.
“I was afraid of you, Hakon. I panicked because I’m still a little shaken up by the other day. I really did think I was going to die, you know, and it will take time to forget it. But I trust you, really I do. I knew you’d get up when I asked you to, and I know you won’t hurt me.”
He smiled and punched Hakon playfully in the chest. “Except when you’re knocking me down a hundred times in a row, I mean.”
He stood up and held out a hand to help Hakon off the ground.
“Let’s do it again. This time if I get scared I’ll get through it and fight back. And if I’m really panicked I’ll say,” he looked around, thinking, “I’ll say dog. Then you’ll know I mean it and you’ll let me go. Ok? Tell me how we’ll do it this time. I’ll do better.”
Re: Break Hold
Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2023 1:03 pm
by Hakon
Hakon nodded. It was a good plan.
"There are many things about you I don't understand," he admitted after the silence stretched into the distance for a bit. "I don't understand how you could do wicked things, and then how you could change. I'm not sure such change is possible, still, though I do feel like I am seeing it from you... it's just that I've been fooled before. Not just by you, by others, too. I know I'm not good at reading people, just like you're not good at hurting them. Andros has told me to trust you, and I trust him, so I am trying. It does not come naturally, after what you did to me."
He let out a long breath.
"Though I suppose it must not be easy for you, either, to be here with me. I would be scared of me, too. At least a bit. Perhaps, we can put the ugliness behind us, in time."
He said nothing for a while. He gave Ajax a brief squeeze, a facsimile of a one-armed hug, then he rose to his feet.
"This time, I'm going to come at you, and I'm going to do my follow-ups at half-speed. We can work on helping you detect what's about to happen. You won't get it right much of the time, of course, but having a sense of what might come next can only help you."
Once Ajax was up and about, Hakon wasted almost no time, rushing him immediately and encircling him at the shoulders with one long arm, his elbow curving around Ajax's throat. He tensed his arm, restricting Ajax's breathing a little. Then, he paused instead of continuing.
"Okay, so once your attacker has you like this, you're at a disadvantage, but it's important not to panic. The thing is, one-armed holds rely on speed and surprise. The victim is shocked, and they stiffen. As the attacker, that's my chance to get my other arm around you in a choke hold, and then you're losing air, you're gasping, and I either snap your neck or you lose consciousness. A bad day for you," Hakon said dourly in Ajax's ear.
He completed the motion, bringing his other arm around and none too gently entangling it in Ajax's hair, gripping hard enough to sting a bit.
"Bad to worse, because this is a two-armed choke hold, now. There are a few things you can do, though, even if they get both arms around you. The first thing you want to do is bring the hand opposite mine up to my elbow -- I have you with my right, so do it with your left, good lad -- and get a good solid grip on my elbow, and squeeze. This will make it harder for me to tighten the hold, and keep air flowing into your body. If you do nothing else, do this, because with no air, you can't move, you can't fight back, and you can't call for help. You're truly at my mercy, and if you're at the mercy of someone who has you in this kind of hold, you're probably not having fun."
"So the first thing you can do, which is best against an unarmored opponent, is bring your other fist up toward your shoulder, then drive your elbow back into my body."
Hakon watched Ajax bring his elbow up but then not follow through with some amusement.
"Lad, thinking about doing it isn't the same as doing it. Hit me and make it count. We're going to practice you doing this a four or five times until you can reliably hit me below the ribs, then I'll switch my hold and we'll try the other side. You have to be able to do it with either arm without thinking about it. So let's see what you've got."
Re: Break Hold
Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2023 10:13 am
by Andros
Hakon’s words buoyed Ajax a bit. At least there was a possibility that things might be forgiven and forgotten. And there was an acknowledgement on Hakon’s end that he bore some of the blame. Still, none of that made him less irritated at the mage’s gentle scolding after he was caught in the hold and couldn’t fight back.
Ajax made a low grunt in response. He wasn’t mad at Hakon, just frustrated by his own failure. It wasn’t in his nature to hurt people. Baba always used to call him a “gentle boy” as an item of praise, and it was true. Even after most of a day of training he struggled to use violence. At least he didn’t panic this time.
“Sorry,” he muttered, then regained his politeness. “Let me try again. It was useful that you went slowly. I think I can get it this time.”
Hakon repeated the process, lunging at Ajax and grabbing tightly, one hand in the hair, another arm wrapping around his neck tightly with a big paw over his mouth. That set off just enough real fear in Ajax to be productive without scaring him into a panic. He launched an elbow back into Hakon’s side, which didn’t budge him, then started to squirm, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. That didn’t help and Hakon only tightened his grip. It hurt but he was still able to breathe - just.
Ajax had to either escape out or tap out, and he didn’t want to give up again. Thinking about what Hakon had said about fighting dirty, he leaned forward to force Hakon to support his weight and perhaps throw him off balance, then stomped hard on his right foot, which made a horrifying crunch. Finally he opened his mouth and bit the hand in front of him, hard. He tasted blood, and Hakon instantly yanked his hand away, then released his grip on Ajax’s hair. With a final elbow to Hakon’s other side, he was able to squirm away.
Had he clawed his way out of Hakon’s grip or was Hakon being nice and letting him feel like he won because he’d done a good job? Probably the latter, but Ajax still turned around and beamed at his trainer, feeling proud of himself.
“Better, right? I’ve got a little bit of the street brawler in me, apparently. Definitely from my mom’s side”