[Now here, see, is where Yusuke will excel... after all, he doesn't need to be good with his new weapons in order to dodge Keith. Or, well, he has already found out Keith is no opponent to be underestimated.
And it would be a waste not to put his new weapons into play.
So he shifts his grip on the knives, watchful eyes on Keith--he anticipates the feint and moves at once to meet it, not clashing their knives so much as deflecting. Can't do this with a katana, they're delicate weapons but he's confident in the durability of these knives...
[Deflecting is good, and Keith moves with it, a bit relentless at the moment, coming at Yusuke without a break, always in motion, varying which blade he attacks with, a quick slash up, a longer arc across, eyes bright to watch Yusuke block.
The other boy is a good fighter, even if knives are new to him. The skills are transferring.
Keith thinks he's doing good anyway, a fact that is probably obvious by the grin on his face.]
[Yusuke's lips twitch. It's a challenge, Keith is a challenge to fend off... but he doesn't mind it at all. It's enjoyable, and Yusuke never thought of himself as someone who really enjoyed sparring, so.
He keeps up with the knives, finding defending with them not as difficult. He's getting used to the length of them, though after a while he's definitely starting to tire out.
Keith's good, okay? Wearing him down. At that point, he starts to move, putting footwork to use now in order to duck out of the way of moves.]
[Keith is pretty determined, honestly. Better to have Yusuke learn how to defend fully when it's him, and not someone else, someone who's actually trying to do him harm. Besides, he might be enjoying this a little too much. And it might be pretty obvious, because he really can't stop smirking.
Why are you friends with him, Yusuke? He's kind of terrible.]
Your footwork is good. But watch your hold... [He informs him as he goes in with sweep of his own knife to try to catch him at an off-angle for how he's holding the knife, to try for force a block and then to knock it free of his grip.]
[It's a startled and dismayed sound, as his fingers loosen around the grip of the knife. Yeah. He let his focus slip for a second and one of the knives drops from his hand. He quickly backsteps and frowns, more at himself than anyone else.
Okay. One-knife fighting, then. Bring it, Keith. He's apparently not ready to quit.]
[Keith kicks the fallen knife out of the way before tossing one of his own after it. Single knife fighting. Only seems fair to level the playing field, leaving him with only his usual blade, still in its knife-sized form.
And then he's back in motion moving towards Yusuke, knife flashing as he brings it up towards him, to force another block.]
[Yusuke grits his teeth, trying to find his rhythm now where he's been thrown off thanks to losing that knife. Keith is no slouch of an opponent, and all he can do is block him and watch, waiting almost, for an opening.
He takes a deep breath, deciding to push his luck and moves closer, to try to lock their knives together at the hilt, render them both unable to attack.]
[It's a good move, really, and Keith clearly thinks so if the grin that breaks over his face is any indication. But well, he's not holding back on Yusuke, and since the other boy brought himself in this close, Keith will take advantage of this fact and brings his leg up in a swift, deliberate kick aimed at his side.
Knives necessitate close combat, but that brings all sorts of other things into play too.]
The kick lands and Yusuke reacts only with a soft grunt of surprise, managing not to lose focus or buckle from it. Still, he's visibly being worn down, Keith has him beat as far as experience goes for sure.
...Though he's still reluctant to call it to a stop. He likely won't until Keith does... Hence he lashes out with the knife, at the same time he gets his other hand ready. If he can manage to goad Keith into clashing their knives again he's going to slam his palm up on his elbow holding the knife.]
[Hey Yusuke, he's giving you his all here! It means he cares!
But it also means he's ready for Yusuke to try something, and he sees that knife come. Rather than meet it, he leans quickly back, tossing his blade from one hand to another, a quick, efficient little maneuver that brings his hand up, knife at the ready, aiming to catch Yusuke under the chin with the point of his blade -- just shy of making contact. ...he won't actually try to stab him since, you know, that might complicate their friendship.]
[Thanks for not stabbing him, Keith. He appreciates it.
He freezes the moment he feels the point of that blade positioned under his chin, his gaze darting down briefly... and then he loosens his grip on his remaining knife, smiling wryly as he allows it to fall.]
[Keith is out of breath at this point, but that doesn't stop the grin on his face from sticking. He straightens up and lowers his blade, rolling his shoulders to loosen them.]
That was great. That was the best sparring I've had in a long time. You're going to be really dangerous with those before too long.
[He ducks his head to him... but not only pleased, he seems relaxed. Hey, he hasn't had a chance to spar against anyone and being here is stressful!! STRESS RELIEF SPARRING.]
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And it would be a waste not to put his new weapons into play.
So he shifts his grip on the knives, watchful eyes on Keith--he anticipates the feint and moves at once to meet it, not clashing their knives so much as deflecting. Can't do this with a katana, they're delicate weapons but he's confident in the durability of these knives...
and if they break he has like 6 more]
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[Deflecting is good, and Keith moves with it, a bit relentless at the moment, coming at Yusuke without a break, always in motion, varying which blade he attacks with, a quick slash up, a longer arc across, eyes bright to watch Yusuke block.
The other boy is a good fighter, even if knives are new to him. The skills are transferring.
Keith thinks he's doing good anyway, a fact that is probably obvious by the grin on his face.]
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He keeps up with the knives, finding defending with them not as difficult. He's getting used to the length of them, though after a while he's definitely starting to tire out.
Keith's good, okay? Wearing him down. At that point, he starts to move, putting footwork to use now in order to duck out of the way of moves.]
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[Keith is pretty determined, honestly. Better to have Yusuke learn how to defend fully when it's him, and not someone else, someone who's actually trying to do him harm. Besides, he might be enjoying this a little too much. And it might be pretty obvious, because he really can't stop smirking.
Why are you friends with him, Yusuke? He's kind of terrible.]
Your footwork is good. But watch your hold... [He informs him as he goes in with sweep of his own knife to try to catch him at an off-angle for how he's holding the knife, to try for force a block and then to knock it free of his grip.]
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[It's a startled and dismayed sound, as his fingers loosen around the grip of the knife. Yeah. He let his focus slip for a second and one of the knives drops from his hand. He quickly backsteps and frowns, more at himself than anyone else.
Okay. One-knife fighting, then. Bring it, Keith. He's apparently not ready to quit.]
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[Keith kicks the fallen knife out of the way before tossing one of his own after it. Single knife fighting. Only seems fair to level the playing field, leaving him with only his usual blade, still in its knife-sized form.
And then he's back in motion moving towards Yusuke, knife flashing as he brings it up towards him, to force another block.]
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He takes a deep breath, deciding to push his luck and moves closer, to try to lock their knives together at the hilt, render them both unable to attack.]
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Knives necessitate close combat, but that brings all sorts of other things into play too.]
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The kick lands and Yusuke reacts only with a soft grunt of surprise, managing not to lose focus or buckle from it. Still, he's visibly being worn down, Keith has him beat as far as experience goes for sure.
...Though he's still reluctant to call it to a stop. He likely won't until Keith does... Hence he lashes out with the knife, at the same time he gets his other hand ready. If he can manage to goad Keith into clashing their knives again he's going to slam his palm up on his elbow holding the knife.]
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[Hey Yusuke, he's giving you his all here! It means he cares!
But it also means he's ready for Yusuke to try something, and he sees that knife come. Rather than meet it, he leans quickly back, tossing his blade from one hand to another, a quick, efficient little maneuver that brings his hand up, knife at the ready, aiming to catch Yusuke under the chin with the point of his blade -- just shy of making contact. ...he won't actually try to stab him since, you know, that might complicate their friendship.]
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He freezes the moment he feels the point of that blade positioned under his chin, his gaze darting down briefly... and then he loosens his grip on his remaining knife, smiling wryly as he allows it to fall.]
I yield.
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That was great. That was the best sparring I've had in a long time. You're going to be really dangerous with those before too long.
[Yusuke is impressive!!]
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Thank you... I suppose I forgot it was a lesson somewhere in the middle, which speaks about how motivating your training is.
I'd like to spar with you again in the future.
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[More sparring with Yusuke sounds pretty great, actually. Keith could definitely get behind that idea,t hanks.]
It was fun.
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[He ducks his head to him... but not only pleased, he seems relaxed. Hey, he hasn't had a chance to spar against anyone and being here is stressful!! STRESS RELIEF SPARRING.]