RP:Training With Hildegarde

Part of the Thy Kingdom Come Arc

Summary: Pilar comes to visit Hildegarde after a training session with Daermon, yet winds up in another training session with Hildegarde. Feeling a little despondent about her skills, Hildegarde tries her best to encourage Pilar.

Great Hall of Vailkrin

Pilar hadn't seen Hildegarde for some time, and had decided to come visit, see if there was anything new going on. She also hoped the dragon had seen Khitti recently. Pilar had been to the abandoned manse several times, but had never spotted her fellow fledgling. She hoped she was alright. Pilar entered the palace, dressed in her leathers. She'd taken Hilde's advice to heart, and wore pants over her chainmail. for extra protection. She had been out in the woods, practicing, and hadn't thought to change before coming to visit.

Hildegarde entered the Great Hall from the council chambers, followed by Mikael and Lisbeth. “Lionel said he was engaging what few men we have here in some training. I’d advise you speak to him and check what that training is like,” she recommended for the pair, “I know I’ll be doing likewise,” and with that the pair were dismissed from her company. “Ah, Pilar,” she noticed the illusionist, “good to see you!” The Silver trotted down the steps with ease and into the main area of the hall to greet Pilar properly. “Have you been training or thinking of running into a fight…?” she questions, evidently wondering about the clothing choice.

Pilar smiled at Hildegarde as she approached. "Hello, Hildegarde. You're looking well." She looked down at herself. "Oh, yes, I was just practicing out in the woods. Daermon has been teaching me to fight. We're going to start weapons training soon, but for now, I'm sticking with hand-to-hand." Plus, Daermon was busy with... stuff. "There is only so much hand-to-hand practice you can do out in the woods alone, against the trees, however." If she wasn't a vampire, her knuckles would probably be all banged up. As it was, they just stung a little.

Hildegarde made a face of apparent surprise when Pilar said she was being trained by Daermon. “Really? What is his training like?” she asked, evidently curious about what the man who was so suave yet so bored by politics fought like. “That’s very true. How confident are you in your ability?”

Pilar said to Hildegarde, "He is very patient and kind. No matter how badly I do, he doesn't say a bad word about me. He even says I'm learning quickly, but I think he's just being nice. He pulls his punches, that much I know. He doesn't want to hurt me." As for her confidence... "Well... not very. I have not yet had a real fight to test what I can do."

Hildegarde nodded her head as Pilar described her lessons. “And you only want to focus on hand-to-hand? Not even using a knife or small weapon?” Regardless of Pilar’s answer, the knight would already begin to unbuckle her sword-belt and her breastplate. “I can teach you, if you want,” she offered, fingers unbuckling the breastplate before heaving it over her head and gently placing it onto the table; followed by the chainmail beneath it.

Pilar watched Hildegarde strip her armor off in confusion before Hildegarde explained. "Oh! Now? Um... I supposed, since we're both here... But, do you not want some sort of armor on?" She didn't want to accidentally hurt Hildegarde... then again, what were the chances of that? "I, uh, do have a dagger that Daermon was going to teach me to use..." She pulled it from the sheath at her hip. She'd never used it before, but took it with her wherever she went, in case she needed to defend herself. "It has an enchantment on it to drain magic. I... I am afraid to use it. I don't want to really hurt anybody..." Not even someone who was attacking her.

Hildegarde shook her head, “I do not want armour, no,” she answered. The Silver kept the leather tunic on and the iron greaves, but that was all. She had removed the main chunk of armour in removing that breastplate. “You want to use that knife or do you want to work on the body first?” she asked. “It’s okay to be afraid, but do not let your fear rule you. You must be able to hurt someone *enough* if your life is in danger.”

Pilar hesitated to use the knife. Not just because she feared hurting her friend, but because she knew what dragon's blood could do to her. She sheathed the dagger. "I think I'll leave the knife for another time." She looked back up to Hildegarde. "How will I know when I've hurt someone ~enough~?"

Hildegarde nodded at Pilar’s decision, evidently respecting her choice. “When you are in a position to control what happens next. You can either take their life or spare them, with the knowledge that they cannot fight your decision. It’s grim… but when it comes down to you or them, that’s the safest choice.” The Silver then rolled her shoulders, gave her hands a little shake and exhaled. “Whenever you are ready, strike at me.”

Pilar would have been nervous about fighting a knight, had she not sparred with and been trained by a former assassin. Daermon had fought dirty when they trained, in order to better prepare her for what she might face. She didn't know how Hildegarde would fight, but she would bet that the dragon would fight with honor. Getting into the fighting stance like Daermon taught her, she darted forward. She thrust upward with her elbow, aiming for Hilde's stomach.

Hildegarde is a knight who fights with honour, but even she understand that when you fight for your life: you fight to win. When Pilar darts forward, Hildegarde drops down into a crouch; body swinging with her leg out to sweep Pilar off of her feet. Assuming Pilar is struck, the knight would hop to her feet again. “Try again.”

Pilar grunted when she hit the ground. Yeah, that was about what she expected. Hildegarde was a seasoned warrior, and unlike Daermon, probably wasn't going to go easy on her. Pilar got back up and tried a roundhouse kick to Hildegarde's side. The side that was missing an eye.

Hildegarde does have peripheral vision, she isn’t completely blind! Even so, as Pilar’s leg rose up to perform the roundhouse kick; the knight dropped down into a crouch once again. Rather than use her fist, she struck at the vampire with her open palm to knock her back a little. The Silver would straighten her posture and stance before looking Pilar over. “Okay, stop,” she told her, her voice gentle. “Let’s work on a different style.”

Pilar stumbled back as Hildegarde struck her, nearly toppling over. When she turned back to face Hildegarde, her face was blank, as she was hiding her frustration and sadness. Like she'd thought, Daermon had just been nice. She would be hopeless in a real fight. "Like what?"

Hildegarde made a beckoning gesture with her hands, “Like basics,” she said. She wasn’t exactly being nice, but she wasn’t going to pummel Pilar when testing out her limitations and her basic moves first. Assuming Pilar did approach her when told to, the knight would bring her fists up as if she were a boxer. Extending her right arm, “Come, do the same,” she said, waiting for Pilar to mimic her before resting her wrist against Pilar’s wrist. “Your body is your best weapon, your best defense and also your biggest weakness. So you have to learn to use it properly. You are stronger and quicker than most, but you can still hurt; you can still weaken. I will show you what I would do in this position, okay?”

Pilar didn't worry about Hildegarde trying a sneak attack, and so approached her without fear. She imitated the dragon, copying her stance and extending her own arm, and listened to what she said. She was still an amateur, and had a lot to learn about fighting. The more teachers she had, the more she could learn. Sneaky-stab moves from Daermon, bare-knuckle boxing from Hildegarde... hopefully she would be a fighter in time for the battle for Frostmaw.

Hildegarde clenched her fist a little bit before opening her hand into a resting, relaxed sort of position. She waited a few moments before finally moving. She pushed her arm to the right, forcing Pilar’s arm to move with hers; effectively pushing Pilar’s inward and away from her own body as she stepped inwards and brought her other arm up against Pilar’s throat. “A sharp jerk and I crush your windpipe,” she explains, taking a step back. Repeating the inward step, she moves more quickly this time as her hand grasps Pilar’s wrist and tugs her forward to set her off balance, sidestepping just ever so slightly so she is at an angle and able to grasp Pilar’s shoulder with her free hand. “Now I can direct you. If I want to throw you to the ground, kick the back of your knee to force you into submission, I have control. Your body is your best weapon, Pilar. Don’t charge into the assault.”

Pilar watched Hildegarde carefully as she went through the motions. She let out a little cry as Hildegarde pulled her forward, barely catching herself before Hildegarde did. She nodded in understanding after Hilde's brief lecture, and waited for the dragon to release her before standing up straight. When practicing with Daermon, she had been best at evasion, dodging, rather than striking. She would need a lot more practice against enemies with more maneuverability than trees to stand a chance in a real fight.

Hildegarde released Pilar after her brief lecture was delivered. “Now, you’re a small woman. People are going to underestimate you. You use your height to your advantage. You’re quick, there’s no doubt about that, but you aren’t particularly strong,” this wasn’t a mean thing to say, it was just fact. “I could defeat something on brute strength. You would need to be quick and thoughtful.” The Silver looked Pilar over and finally spoke after a long pause: “Use your height, use your size. Evade, then come in for another hit. Use your body weight against the attacker. Don’t think about honour or about hurting them, think about surviving.”

Pilar backed up slightly, nodding along to her words. Quick, thoughtful, use her size. All good advice, now she had to put it into action. She stayed a fair distance from Hildegarde, trying to determine the best angle of attack. Unless... should she wait on Hildegarde to do something? It was easier to evade when you weren't the one on the offensive, after all. Well, she would probably need to learn how to attack if she wanted to learn how to defend, right? She darted forward again, ducking low under Hildegarde's arms and slipping behind the dragon, where she aimed a kick for the back of her knees.

Hildegarde stumbled forward at the kick to the back of her knees, but she has enough combat experience to stagger forward and pivot to face Pilar rather than stumble onto her knees. Her heart fluttered with an odd sense of pride in Pilar. “Low blow!” she called out to Pilar, as if it were shameful to have done it.

Pilar had been taught by an assassin, after all. Of course she would be sneaky. "You said fight to win!" she called back in defense of herself. Still, she wasn't pulling out her real tricks just yet. While she'd have her magic in a real fight, what if one day she went up against someone who could see through her illusions? Or what if she lost her magic somehow? It was better to augment her fighting with her magic, rather than rely on it.

Hildegarde grinned at that retort, “Come ahead, fanger! Unless you’re afraid!” the Silver called back at Pilar, as if trying to antagonise her. Of course, with the insult flung and the bait put down, the knight cannot help but wonder whether or not Pilar will let it get to her. It’s cruel, yes, but it’s a necessary part of training. You can’t fight to survive if you’re preoccupied with name-calling. It’s better to tune it all out, as Hildegarde had learned.

Pilar cocked her head. Fanger? That was a new one. She wondered what other anti-vampire slurs she would learn in time. She knew better than to believe Hildegarde really meant anything by it. Still, it did distract her long enough that if Hildegarde had planned to go on the offensive, she probably could've gotten a hit or two in. As it was, Pilar simply charged at Hilde, throwing a punch toward her ribs.

Hildegarde was only repeating insults she had heard thrown at others, of course, and she truly didn’t mean it. But her intention was to aggravate Pilar into an assault. As Pilar came charging in, the knight simply stepped to the side and swung her arm out to whack against Pilar’s back and send her stumbling. Of course, the wallop wasn’t at full strength. It was only strong enough to send Pilar off balance, per Hildegarde’s intention. With Pilar off balance, the knight swiftly stepped up behind her and wound her muscular arms around Pilar’s own arms and held her in a tight embrace. “If you were mortal, I would squeeze the life out of you. As it is, you are not mortal. But I still have you caught,” she explained, lifting her arms and Pilar up slightly. She was, after all, a full foot taller than the illusionist.

Pilar struggled against Hildegarde fruitlessly. The vampire may have been inhumanly strong, but the dragon was more so. The only recourse she could think of was to slam her heel into Hildegarde's shin. Of course, the iron greaves made that an ineffectual maneuver. She eventually slumped in Hildegarde's grasp and sighed.

Hildegarde’s iron greaves did indeed protect her shins from Pilar’s devious heels. “The gods gave us a head for a reason, Pilar,” she said, as she gently deposited the vampire back onto the floor. “You can either use your head… or, well, use your head. Either outwit your attacker by playing dead – you don’t have a heartbeat. You don’t need to breathe. They might let you go and then you spring up and attack! Or you throw your head back so hard you break their nose and they have to let you go. The nose is a sensitive place, I promise you,” she tapped her own crooked and red looking nose.

Pilar just didn't have the mind for fighting. Not yet, at least. She didn't like to think of ways to hurt other people, even if it was completely justified, and/or a life-and-death situation. Fighting went against her very nature. And yet, such an honorable and kind woman as Hildegarde was able to worship the god of war... Perhaps the two weren't mutually exclusive. Pilar looked down. "I understand..." Then she sent a jab up towards Hilde's face.

Hildegarde might have explained her religious beliefs if asked, but Pilar didn’t ask her. Religion and belief was a complicated thing. As the punch careens towards her face, the knight takes the hit willingly: though her left hand snaps up to snatch Pilar’s wrist, she steps in just a little and angles her body to the side while her other hand grasps onto Pilar’s elbow. “If you move, I will break your arm,” she warns coolly, pushing upwards ever so slightly to show Pilar how uncomfortable the gesture is. “Never hit straight on. It was a good and solid punch, but you’re too easy to grab. You stand square on, you should stand sideways if you can. It means there’s less of you to hit.”

Pilar remembered Daermon's advice too late. 'Never underestimate someone's willingness to take a hit to return one in kind.' She hissed as Hildegarde demonstrated how easily she could snap her arm. "Noted," she said.

Hildegarde was certainly the sort of woman who was willing to take a hit if it gave her the advantage in battle. “I’m going to let go of you now,” she said, gently releasing Pilar’s elbow and then wrist before taking a step back. She took a moment to rub at her nose a little bit. “Battle is frightening. Battle is quick. So you must always be trying to think a step ahead. Some people can think five or ten steps ahead, but as long as you can stay just one step ahead… you have the advantage.”

Pilar felt a little bad for hurting Hildegarde. And that was her whole problem. Her reluctance to hurt. "I don't know if I ~can~... All I can think about is not hurting my opponent too badly... Every fight I've ever been in, I constantly ran away and hid." The only strike she ever got in was a sneak attack from behind. Against someone who didn't even realize she was there until a chair broke over his back. "I just... don't think I'm made to fight."

Hildegarde nodded in acceptance of that. Not everyone was made to fight, not everyone enjoyed fighting. “I do not like fighting. But it is a part of who I am now and it is my way of protecting those I love. It is grim, it is horrible. But I would rather the knowledge of how to disarm and disable my foe, than to live in fear of them.” The Silver offered Pilar a smile, “You don’t need to think about killing someone. Just about *stopping* them. That’s all. Don’t seek to kill, seek to stop.”

Pilar thought that 'protection' was a good way of thinking of it, and took Hildegarde's advice to heart. Maybe it would help her get into the right mindset. So, she pretended that Hilde wasn't Hilde, but a big tough mean knight harassing a dear friend. That would make it easier. She hoped. Pilar backed up and got into a fighting stance, her fists up and body turned away from Hildegarde. Her only successful hit so far had been the strike to the back of her knees. What had she done? She'd stayed low, and moved fast. And gotten behind her. Was that the key, here, getting behind Hildegarde? But she wouldn't always be able to fight her opponents from behind. The moments passed as Pilar tried to figure out what to do, and became more frustrated with herself when she failed.

Hildegarde watched and waited, waiting to see what Pilar would do. But the girl only became frustrated. “Let’s take a look around the room,” she said, gesturing to the great hall broadly. “You have to start seeing places as stepping stones to achieving your goal.” The Silver grunted after a moment, “Watch,” she instructed as she shook her arms and seemed to ready herself for something. With a sudden and sharp inhale, the knight bolted down towards one of the tables and leapt for it. She leapt onto the table and then leapt from it; body twisting in the air as she brought her hands out and down against an imaginary foe. Had there been a person there to oppose her, it is likely that their head would have been hit hard against the table and disorientated them. The Silver righted herself into a more dignified posture and looked at Pilar: “Stepping stones.”

Pilar nodded and glanced around the room. There were pillars that could be used for cover, if this were a real fight. Tablecloths that could be pulled up and used to tangle or trip up an opponent. A chandelier filled with burning oil, which could do some real damage if she were able to get up there. Of course, she naturally felt uncomfortable doing anything to wreck the room. So, how could she use the pillars... She walked towards one and inspected it. The stone was rough, but not rough enough to give her any handholds. So, climbing them was out, unless she could run at them with enough momentum to get her up far enough to grab one of the folds in his robe. And Pilar didn't think she could do that. Sadly, she rested her head against the pillar and sighed. She just felt so awful about herself. She wondered if Hilde had ever worked with anyone so incompetent and uncreative.

Hildegarde approached Pilar and gently settled her hand upon her shoulder. “Do you want to know something silly?” she asked softly.

If Pilar was more devious, she would have found this the perfect opportunity for a sneak attack. But I think we've already established her un-deviousness. Pilar looked up at Hildegarde. "What?"

Hildegarde wasn’t looking to continue their training right this second anyway! Break times are important. “When I was little, my father used to take me fishing,” she explained with a fond smile on her face, “and I loved it very much. In fact, I still enjoy fishing.” The Silver paused to take a breath before continuing with the story, “And one day, he gave me my own rod and let me catch my own fish. And I did. In fact, when I pulled the fish free from the hook, I was so excited that I hugged the fish tight to my chest… and I don’t think I need to explain to you what happens when you hug a fish tight to your chest!” she smiled. “There is no natural born killer, Pilar. I don’t believe so, anyway. There is good in everyone. Not wanting to harm people is not something to be ashamed of. You do not need to be the apex predator. But you need to be able to protect yourself.”

Pilar's lip twitched toward a smile. "That poor fish," she said. She sighed. If Daermon could have seen her now, he'd have been so disappointed. He'd had high hopes for her. "I'm tired of being helpless."

Hildegarde smiled broadly when Pilar smiled. “I know you are. But do not give up hope,” she said. “Training is not something that is done in a day. It takes time, you will not be an expert for years yet,” she reasoned, “and that isn’t a bad thing.” The Silver looked at the pillar. “Now. Rather than trying to climb this, you could run up and flip off it if you have the skill. Or… well, simply run to it, kick off against it and use the momentum to punch your opponent in the face or throat. Don’t overcomplicate things by trying to think of climbing or this and that.”

Pilar looked up at the pillar again. Those were things she could do... Theoretically. She definitely didn't have the skill to do a sick flip off it. Kicking off it, though, was a maybe. She was gonna try it. She backed up a fair bit, then took off, her vampire powers giving her extra speed. She leaped, bringing her feet up... and they skidded out from under her and she ended up flat on her back. "Ow."

Hildegarde watched as Pilar tried to run up at the pillar, waiting patiently to see the outcome. Instead of telling her to quit or that it was a good try, the knight only extended her hand out to help her back to her feet. “Try again,” she encouraged.

Pilar took Hilde's hand gratefully, rubbing her sore back. She got some distance again, and ran at the pillar again. Slower this time, as she was still unable to fully control her max speed. She jumped at the pillar and sprang off it, though she stumbled and nearly faceplanted upon landing. Still, it was an improvement!

Hildegarde tried to smother the smile that threatened to appear on her face. “Again,” she instructed.

Pilar found it a lot easier to keep going when progress could be seen. It was harder, much harder, to keep practicing in the face of failure. Since this situation dealt with the former, Pilar did not hesitate to back up before sprinting towards the pillar. She kicked off the stone landed several feet away. She hadn't attempted any type of strike, no punches or kicks, but she still counted it as a success.

Hildegarde smiled as Pilar successfully launched herself off the pillar. “Now add in a strike when you rebound off the pillar,” she instructed, “we’ll keep trying until you get it right.”

Pilar got into position once again, but paused. What kind of strike could she do? In her opinion, none at all. Her insecurities and doubts started to creep up again. If she couldn't land a hit on the ground, how could she do one in mid-air? She'd been practicing against nothing all day, and it had done her no good, how would this help? She was just making an ass of herself, she should stop before she destroyed what was left of her dignity. With a gulp, she forced those thoughts back down and started to run. When she jumped off the pillar, she thrust her fist upwards into what she hoped would be a powerful uppercut.

Hildegarde waited patiently for Pilar to execute the motion. Obviously, she was no mind-reader and therefore could not quite understand what turmoil was going on within Pilar’s mind. If she knew, of course, she’d do her best to put a stop to it. As Pilar thrust off to pillar and performed an uppercut, the knight smiled with pride. “That was good,” she praised, “but it will work on someone taller than you. Remember the jump will give you height and momentum. You can punch straight ahead if you want. But I think that’s enough practice for tonight. You’ve done well.”

Pilar had the stamina to keep going, but she honestly didn't really want to. She smiled at the knight. "Thank you, Hildegarde."

Hildegarde said to Pilar, "You're welcome, Pilar. I hope this is helpful."

Pilar said to Hildegarde, "It has been." She would, next time she saw Daermon, ask him to no longer hold back for her sake. She had to learn, and fast. The battle was going to be upon them soon. "I'll let you wind down for the evening. Good night."

Hildegarde said to Pilar, "Goodnight."