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Cassirin · 08-28-2010, 04:57 AM

Because the Headmaster has no use for a second office, he has re-purposed this room for an entirely different use. The room is larger than it should be; the fact that Tate reduced a wall into an adjoining room is obvious by the fact that his ‘office’ has two doors along the same long wall. Rather than leaving an empty office or reinventing the standard dueling area, the room now serves as a training facility for those with an interest in Defense and Defense related careers: Aurors, Hit Wizards, and the International Task Force (among others).

The two windows in the room face out over an inner courtyard and let in tree-filtered light throughout the day. Beside one such window, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves have been stuffed full of countless Defense texts. The titles range from ancient tomes in spidery indecipherable scripts to glossy hardcovers featuring some of the premiere Defensive authors of the day. The long table is conducive for transcribing notes from the various books, but there are also a few deep chairs pushed together for general reading or quiet conversation. There is a sign posted on the bookshelf.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sign on the bookshelf

ALL BOOKS ARE CHARMED TO RETURN TO THE SHELVES AFTER USE. THEY ARE NOT PERMITTED TO LEAVE THE ROOM WITHOUT PERMISSION.

Along the opposite wall, leading from the far door halfway to the window, Tate has set up various pieces of exercise equipment, intending for those interested in pursuing a Defensive career to develop themselves physically as well as mentally. A punching bag is suspended from the ceiling in the corner, sitting beside a stand of free weights and other odds and ends, mats and exercise balls and the like. Stretching along the remainder of the space to the window is an enormous climbing wall, complete with hand and foot holds all the way up to the ceiling. There are no ropes, but the floor is generously cushioned with a charm.

Between the two windows sit a series of padded dummies, perfect for any dueling practice needed for class or just to be used in the process of learning new spells. Drag one or two out and practice. Either of the windows onto the courtyard may be opened and, weather permitting, training can extend into this open space. Try not to kill and trees or squirrels in the process.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sign by the dummies

DUELING BETWEEN STUDENTS NOT PERMITTED IN THIS ROOM WITHOUT TATE'S APPROVAL. SUPERVISION REQUIRED.

Tazenhani · 02-19-2011, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

"You can cast as soon as we come out of the bow," Tate offered with his head still down. Until pressed, he would give Sabel every advantage. It was in the boy's best interest that he get a few good shots off, and Tate had no desire to hurt him.

Not yet, at least.

He straightened and pointed his wand at Sabel's torso. Show us what you've got, kid.

There was no way to describe the number of knots that twisted in his stomach all at once at Tate's words. No way to describe the twitchy panic that had his fingers curling around his wand into a tight grip. He knew it was all for learning something knew, and that against Tate he wouldn't last long, but it was all still there. The rush of the duel.

"Don't hold back." Were his words in response as he straightened; if Tate coddled him, he would learn nothing. His first and most instant reaction was to cast a shield about himself, an action when not opposed had him blinking rapidly. He had been expecting a spell off the get-go and that one didn't hit his shield had him in a pause for a moment.

It was somewhat of a stumble to gain a proper line of thought and flick his wand at Tate's with a muttered 'Deprimo', aiming the blast of air at Tate's hand to try and dislodge his grip. Only disarming; while that was the purpose of any duel, this seemed different, strange. And panic rushed. Very rushed.

Cassirin · 02-19-2011, 11:35 PM

Tate batted away the spell with a flick of his wand and frowned at Sabel. The boy was being sloppy, letting nerves over power any skill he might show. "Focus, lad," he said in a low voice. "You're thinking too much about what I'm going to do or what I expect, but I want you just to be in the moment."

He punctuated his words with a flick of his wand. "Tarantallegra." It was a silly spell, but that was the point. They weren't in for blood.

Tazenhani · 02-19-2011, 11:55 PM

Focus. Focus focus focus...focus.

He needed to. He knew that. But his mind went two separate directions as soon as Tate cast the spell. Half of him wanted to dart off to the side, the other half got stuck on trying to remember what the spell did and what trouble he would be in for if he got hit. It was that last contemplative half that had him surprised and second guessing his hearing, not having expected Tate to cast such a strange spell.

It was by the time this realization had hit him, that he was only halfway out of line of the spell, given protego was apparently not a solid option to grasp at the current moment. The sensation of one leg suddenly starting to dance and the other trying to move in another direction was discomforting and embarrassing. The floor helped to dish out another bout of humility as his balance failed him and he dropped on his side. Thankfully the tight grip of his wand kept it in his hand and quickly casting 'finite' at his wobbly leg.

Five seconds and he was down, as he expected. But by Tarantallegra? Not good. He wanted to take a moment to gather himself, to try and repress his embarrassment, but somehow that seemed worse than not having focus. He wasn't disarmed, the duel wasn't over yet.

As soon as his leg stopped dancing, he flicked his wand at Tate again, using his free hand to start to push himself up. A tripping jinx was all his mind could muster at the moment.

Cassirin · 02-20-2011, 12:31 AM

Tate stepped over the jinx rather than blocking it, and he quickly sent a short series of blasting charms to the floor near Sabel's hand in an attempt to prevent the boy from rising immediately.

"You don't have to wait until I'm done to cast again, and you can cast multiple spells. Don't get flustered worrying about what happened and end up getting hit again." He was starting to worry about the boy, although it wasn't clear if dueling was stressing him out, if he was simply nervous, or if it was Tate himself that worried him. Should they consider going back to the basics?

Tazenhani · 02-20-2011, 12:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

Tate stepped over the jinx rather than blocking it, and he quickly sent a short series of blasting charms to the floor near Sabel's hand in an attempt to prevent the boy from rising immediately.

"You don't have to wait until I'm done to cast again, and you can cast multiple spells. Don't get flustered worrying about what happened and end up getting hit again." He was starting to worry about the boy, although it wasn't clear if dueling was stressing him out, if he was simply nervous, or if it was Tate himself that worried him. Should they consider going back to the basics?

What he wasn't expecting was the ground near his hand to turn into unstable ground and a bunch of flying shards. From dancing legs to broken floorboards this was one of those moments that anything went.

If he wasn't so busy catching his breath, he may have let out a small squeak of surprise; as it was he only had time to drop his hand close to his chest and roll backwards away from the blasts, Tate's words tumbling around in his head. He didn't even wait to be done rolling before he sent of his next spell at Tate's head, a twitchy ears jinx, and right after on his next roll, a jelly legs charm at Tate's knees: no more stepping. As soon as the spell was off and the roll complete, he used the momentum to push himself to his feet, albeit less graceful than he had pictured in his mind.

Felixir · 02-20-2011, 12:56 AM

Jake, from the very top of the climbing wall, where he'd been scaling across it, heard voices. He knew who they were from, and we're talking, voices from across the room. He looked over his shoulder and watched for a moment, before figuring he'd have a much better view from lower down.

With that, he leapt from the wall and stood down at the floor, watching the duel carefully.

See... now HE had an upperhand. He could see how Tate duelled and be ready... at least for one of these eventualities. As it was, he stood quietly and... well... watched.

Cassirin · 02-20-2011, 02:15 AM

Better. Much better. The boy was planning ahead, thinking as he moved. Tate blocked the twitchy ears easily, less so the jelly legs. Much much better. He gave Sabel a nod, even as he cast against the boy again.

A blasting charm to send Sabel's wand up in the air as he stumbled, followed by an Incarcerous spell, which sent ropes spinning from the tip of Tate's wand.

Tazenhani · 02-20-2011, 04:23 AM

Everything that had seemed to matter before had suddenly faded away, only the beat of his heart remaining in his ears. Embarrassment mattered little, self-consciousness was devoid; it was a matter of surviving even though somewhere he knew Tate would never actually hurt him. If this was what Tate meant by being in the moment, it was a very intense moment that fed off his fear and changed in into decisive action.

That didn't mean everything was clear however and he had no idea what the spell racing towards his wand was, he didn't have time to identify it. Jerking his shoulder up had his hand just above the path of the spell though it greatly impeded his balance, a protego shield jumping up around him just in time to deflect the first spell. Unfortunately, his alteration in position and balance afforded him no favor with the second spell that he had somehow neglected in favor of the first, and his arm was in the direct path of the ropes.

Legend had said they were tight when they had dueled and there was no argument there. Tight and hard hitting, jerking his body into a side twist that would have been wonderful for cracking his back if it was any other circumstance. There was a mild panic in its constriction, but more worry in being completely defenseless. Chancing on taking his eyes off Tate, he snapped his other hand around and pried his wand from his bound hand, immediately reverting forward to flick a sloppily directed 'Stupefy' at Tate.

One thing was sure, casting with his left hand was strange.

Cassirin · 02-20-2011, 05:54 AM

It was impressive that Sable was able to cast while the ropes were pulling on him; even more impressive that the lad had switched hands and cast successfully. "Don't be afraid to use your body, as you were trying to do just then. You don't have to block every spell, and if pure physicality can save you from being hit, then you're using every advantage you have," he called as he blocked the spell.

Tate knew he was breaking the rhythm of the duel, which probably wasn't doing Sabel any favors. Falling into that space in your mind where you were all instinct, action and reaction, cause and effect, was almost a sacred experience, and he kept jerking the boy out of it when he found teachable moments. He'd try to focus on the dueling and not try to teach.

As if to punctuate his point, Tate sent a series of knockback spells, one after another, right at Sabel. That would get them moving.

Tazenhani · 02-20-2011, 06:09 PM

Tate's words were somewhat distracting, especially given that whenever the man spoke he said something important and listening to him was something Sabel held in high respect. At the same time however, they were kept just on the edge of his hearing, the binding of the rope around his arm keeping his mind focussed on spells and his wand. On how strange casting with the wrong hand was and how he needed to get back to his other hand.

It was that slight distraction however, that didn't have him moving fast enough and now he was facing several spells in consecutive order. Instinct had him stepping back with each one, hastily flicking up his wand to deflect them. Each deflection was a little worse, his left hand not used to the strange motions of casting, and the path of his own defense was becoming unpredictable.

Instinct once again made his decision for him, his feet planting themselves in a sudden halt and his hand flicking his wand up and over the next spell, sending his own knockback spell at Tate through the rest of his encroaching ones. And that was all the time he had before the next spell hit him square in the chest, living dutifully up to its name and sending him sprawling onto his back a few feet from where he had been standing.

Cassirin · 02-21-2011, 01:46 AM

Another good decision. Tate wanted to comment on that move - it was good sometimes to take the hit in order to get off a hit of your own, and it was obvious that Sable had made the decision to let a spell through on purpose.

But Tate held his tongue, choosing instead to throw up a hasty shield to block the spell Sabel had sent his way. He himself was distracted by how hard and far his spell had sent the boy, and the shield was less than impressive. Tate was forced back a step himself, although he followed it up with an Expelliarmus while the boy was down.

Tazenhani · 02-21-2011, 05:48 PM

He wouldn't be able to make a proper reaction. He knew that from the moment his back hit the ground and all the breath rushed out of his lungs. Movement wouldn't come quick enough to roll out of the way or flick his wand up in defense. There was only the snap of the next spell and a brief whiz before his wand was skittering across the floor, fingers flexing with the tingling from the disarming spell.

First instinct was to rush to his feet as best as he could and get out of the way and retrieve his wand. He was partway to pushing himself onto his side when a quick glance to his opponent reminded him that it was just Tate he was dueling, not someone that would actually threaten his life. When the transition had happened from Tate being all menacing and intimidating to being the presence of strength and security the Headmaster stood for, he wasn't sure, but it had him dropping his forehead against the floor, trying to catch his breath through lungs that felt a little too constricted for comfort.

He wasn't supposed to run for his wand again, was he?

Cassirin · 02-22-2011, 02:34 AM

"You know what I liked about that?" Tate summoned Sabel's wand before holstering his own, and then he was by the boy's side in a few long strides. The wand was proffered with a broad grin.

"You were adapting your technique as you went. You didn't make the same mistake twice. And no matter how much I interrupted while we dueled, you managed to keep your focus." Once he found his focus, of course.

Tazenhani · 02-22-2011, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

"You know what I liked about that?" Tate summoned Sabel's wand before holstering his own, and then he was by the boy's side in a few long strides. The wand was proffered with a broad grin.

"You were adapting your technique as you went. You didn't make the same mistake twice. And no matter how much I interrupted while we dueled, you managed to keep your focus." Once he found his focus, of course.

A few more gasps for breath had air properly in his lungs. A slight smile turned the corners of his lips up as he glanced up at Tate, retrieving the wand with a small nod from his position on the floor. "I think, your speech pattern is part of your dueling strategy. It is quite distracting."

With a grunt, he stumbled back to his feet, giving his head a little shake to clear it and the rather amusing mental image of Tate lecturing one of his foes. A quick check of his wand had him letting out a breath of relief that it wasn't scratched and his eyes looking back up to the Headmaster before his head dipped in a respectful bow again. "Thank you, Sir. That is an extreme compliment." Given how much of fish-flopping he had be doing. "I think my lack of balance was a constant mistake." Albiet rather natural for him.

Cassirin · 02-23-2011, 01:46 AM

"Not if you can make it work for you," Tate shrugged dismissively before wandering back across the room toward the chairs and table. He was getting on in years for sure if he needed to sit down after so short a duel, but he wanted to rest.

"I do have the bad habit of taunting my opponents at times. It's one of my strategies, and this was probably a more appropriate adaptation. You handled it well." He pointed to a chair for the boy to take.

Tazenhani · 02-23-2011, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

"Not if you can make it work for you," Tate shrugged dismissively before wandering back across the room toward the chairs and table. He was getting on in years for sure if he needed to sit down after so short a duel, but he wanted to rest.

"I do have the bad habit of taunting my opponents at times. It's one of my strategies, and this was probably a more appropriate adaptation. You handled it well." He pointed to a chair for the boy to take.

"True..." The consideration of Tate's words was given with a tight press of his lips together, slowly sheathing his wand back into the holster on his forearm.

Following the headmaster, he couldn't help but frown a little. "You don't seem like the taunting type." Not in a duel, not in any situation. Indeed picturing Tate mocking an opponent seemed downright contradictory to his respectful nature.

Cassirin · 02-24-2011, 03:40 AM

"Taunting... talking? Chatting with? Using words and banter to keep myself relaxed and to keep them off their mark?" Tate gave a one-shouldered shrug and slid into the seat. Talking kept him loose, and light hearted banter could do wonders in the moment. It was probably why he and Caroline were so good together - they could give as good as they got without hurt feelings.

Tazenhani · 02-24-2011, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

"Taunting... talking? Chatting with? Using words and banter to keep myself relaxed and to keep them off their mark?" Tate gave a one-shouldered shrug and slid into the seat. Talking kept him loose, and light hearted banter could do wonders in the moment. It was probably why he and Caroline were so good together - they could give as good as they got without hurt feelings.

"I suppose...that makes sense." Talking and bantering seemed more of Tate's style than taunting, but then again that was based off a limited perception of him as the headmaster. It was impressive to say the least, that he could indeed use it as a strategy. Personally, chatting was something he could never get his mind around in a duel without actually having to pause in defense or opposition.

Slipping into the seat, he took a moment to unbind the rope from his arm and coil it before setting it on the edge of the desk. "Thank you, for this. For giving me the chance to learn from you. It means a lot."

Cassirin · 02-25-2011, 11:59 PM

"You're welcome," Tate didn't bother to look surprised or pleased by Sabel's appreciation. He knew the boy well enough to know that he took nothing for granted, not even a few spare moments from a professor's schedule. If he was a better man, or at least a less busy one, he would give even more of his time to endeavors like this. As it stood, he was happy to mentor the students who showed an interest, who showed promise.

Sabel did both.

"I think I should... apologize to you."

Tazenhani · 02-26-2011, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

"You're welcome," Tate didn't bother to look surprised or pleased by Sabel's appreciation. He knew the boy well enough to know that he took nothing for granted, not even a few spare moments from a professor's schedule. If he was a better man, or at least a less busy one, he would give even more of his time to endeavors like this. As it stood, he was happy to mentor the students who showed an interest, who showed promise.

Sabel did both.

"I think I should... apologize to you."

The small smile and relaxation that was working its way onto his expression and posture halted dead in their tracks. He nearly knocked the rope right off the desk again as his eyes went up to the Headmaster, wide and blinking. Not what he had been expecting. Not at all what he had been expecting.

Clamping his hand on the rope to keep it from falling off the edge of the desk. "You..." Pressing his eyes closed he shook his head a little to try and organize his thoughts again. "Sorry?"

Cassirin · 02-26-2011, 05:06 AM

"Hit you a bit too hard, eh?" Tate knocked his own forehead a bit in demonstration. Yeah, he got that. It was a lot to even converse after a duel, and here Tate was trying to demand a serious conversation.

"The last time we conversed, I gave you some... advice. I stand by the spirit of what I was trying to impart, but I was projecting some of my own... life experiences on you, and I'm afraid I may have come down a bit hard."

Tazenhani · 02-27-2011, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

"Hit you a bit too hard, eh?" Tate knocked his own forehead a bit in demonstration. Yeah, he got that. It was a lot to even converse after a duel, and here Tate was trying to demand a serious conversation.

"The last time we conversed, I gave you some... advice. I stand by the spirit of what I was trying to impart, but I was projecting some of my own... life experiences on you, and I'm afraid I may have come down a bit hard."

"No...didn't hit me too hard." Not in the duel at least. A slow shake of his head accented the words as he eyed the rope, making sure it would stay. "Unless you are referring to how unexpected your statement was..."

Frowning, he glanced over at the headmaster, trying to recall exactly what it was the man was referring to. The last time they had talked had been when he had burst into Tate's office after seeing Gevrik and they had gotten into a rather undesirable scrap. But all of what had been said then had been warranted. Unless Tate didn't view that as conversing and was referring to their first talk of the semester. He honestly didn't know.

"You are always honest, even if it is a little hard, but being soft wouldn't be being as honest." Really, he didn't understand what Tate was apologizing for or why.

Cassirin · 02-27-2011, 11:31 PM

"Honesty is important," Tate gave one emphatic nod and shoved himself up to his feet. "Almost more important than anything else. Transparency is a sign of respect." He was starting to feel like he was repeating himself with these endless mantras about respect and honor. It was probably boring to the boy.

"Should I let you get back to real life, lad?"

Tazenhani · 02-28-2011, 02:09 AM

Sabel frowned at Tate, trying to puzzle it out. Real life? Transparency? Since when were these talks with Tate not part of his real life? And who wasn't being transparent? Was he not showing Tate respect by dismissing his apology without hearing it? He honestly had no clue anymore.

"I don't understand what you're trying to say, Headmaster." The confusion and frustration of being confused was conveyed well within the shake of his head. "I don't understand what you are apologizing for or why? And I have no clue as to what you mean about real life. This is my real life." Was that transparent and honest enough?

Cassirin · 02-28-2011, 02:44 AM

"I meant returning to class and your friends. I'm sure that hanging out with crusty old professors doesn't have a significant role in your everyday, does it?" Tate managed not to look at the door in a clear indication that he wanted to get the heck out of there. It wasn't even that he was busy, but rather that he was feeling so uncomfortable about this conversation.

"Nevermind. I obviously didn't scar you for life the way I thought." So much for transparency.

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