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Post by Kup on Apr 2, 2011 23:26:55 GMT -5
Month 1, Week 4, Day 3. Event Horizon standard non-sim Training Room. Open
Even knowing he needs to do this, it's taken some time for Kup to swallow his pride and actually admit it to someone else. Asking someone else for training is one of the most embarrassing and awkward things he's done in a long time. He almost changes his mind even before entering the training room. After all, he's still certain he'd have taken Bonecrusher eventually on his own.
And if he'd taken the time to do that, who knows when what state Rodimus would have been by the time he got back there?
That thought strengthens his resolve, and Kup steps into the training room, glancing around. Computer said he'd be in here...
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Dinobot
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Death Before Dishonor
Posts: 302
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Post by Dinobot on Apr 3, 2011 18:44:24 GMT -5
He is indeed in here, going rapidly through the motions of an advanced sword kata. Dinobot is facing the door, so he notices immediately when Kup enters the room. He nods in greeting mid-swing, then takes a few moments to complete his exercise before saying anything.
"Kup. Did you wish to use the room?" he growls.
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Post by Kup on Apr 3, 2011 22:24:45 GMT -5
"Naw," Kup starts, then hesitates. "Well, kind of." There's a moment. Get it out, old man, he chides himself. With what all you've faced, you're hemming and hawing over this.
"I'm wondering if you're not willing to do some training. Looking to improve my toe-to-toe fightin'. I... might lean a bit heavy on how strong and tough I am, not enough on actual ability," he admits. Kup's above average, especially for where he comes from, and where he comes from, above average combined with his strength and his toughness and his out and out stubbornness make him a force to be reckoned with. But here, it seems like several of the realities that are represented focus far more on melee than his home reality, and while Kup's still a force to be reckoned with...
... Well, he just can't abide by the idea of that overgrown pile of razor blades giving him as much trouble as he did.
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Dinobot
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Death Before Dishonor
Posts: 302
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Post by Dinobot on Apr 4, 2011 21:02:40 GMT -5
If Dinobot wasn't such a stoic badaft himself, his jaw might be hanging open a little. Kup, the mechanism who trained Rodimus Prime, the robot who was a legend in his own time, veteran of a thousand battles, wants him, Dinobot, an ex-Predacon criminal of no real importance, to train him in the arts of war?
"It would be my honor," he responds, putting a hand over his spark chamber and bowing low. "Hn. Do you have any preference for how to go about this? I know Ultra Magnus has installed a program into the simulator that would . . . negate the difference in our statures," the Maximal growls, gesturing with a hand.
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Post by Kup on Apr 4, 2011 23:06:46 GMT -5
Kup tilts his head to consider, rubbing his chin. "No preferences, no, but that would probably be a good idea, yeah. Since I'm used to leaning on my strength, anything that makes it harder for me to do that'll be good. On the other hand, one advantage I'm not used to having on my opponents is size." He looks down at Dinobot.
"Typical 'Cons a bit larger than me. Not like the size difference between you and me, mind, but larger than I am. I was built not to look as dangerous as I am." He grins at this.
"Maybe we should try different versions? Get rid of the size difference, you smaller than me so you're hearder to hit, you larger than me so's you've got the strength edge, things like that?"
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Dinobot
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Death Before Dishonor
Posts: 302
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Post by Dinobot on Apr 5, 2011 21:47:25 GMT -5
Dinobot nods. "You want a primer in hand-to-hand combat then, not just to learn swordplay."
The raptor sheathes his sword, stowing it in subspace behind his back. "When would you like to begin?"
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Post by Kup on Apr 6, 2011 17:17:23 GMT -5
"Right," Kup agrees, nodding his head. "I tend to just use whatever's handy as a weapon. Bottles, furniture, Sharkticon tails, that sort of thing. Don't see no reason to change that. In fact I'll... probably be asking around, find some other folks to train against, too. So yeah, not just swordplay. If anything, more gettin' around swordplay." Kup is more interested in improving his ability to deal with someone who has a sword than picking one up himself.
"And... eh..." He shrugs. "I'm busy, but one of the advantages of being the one that writes the watch bill means that I can be ready to start whenever you're up to it. Maybe want to take some time to make sure that 'sim room' is set up right, or something."
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Dinobot
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Death Before Dishonor
Posts: 302
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Post by Dinobot on Apr 6, 2011 22:21:35 GMT -5
"Very well," Dinobot says, already constructing a training regimen in his head. "I'm free at [times]. Just let me know when you want to meet and I'll have the simulation chamber prepared for us."
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Post by Kup on Apr 7, 2011 20:54:23 GMT -5
"Eeh," Kup rubs the back of his head. This is still so damned awkward, running around asking folks to train him like he's some sort of fresh-paint. But he's committed now. At this point, backing down would look even worse.
"How about [early time in the list Dinobot gave]? I should be free by then."
OOC: Skip? The full training scenes need not be played out, either. Just bits and pieces, to indicate they are happening.
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Dinobot
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Death Before Dishonor
Posts: 302
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Post by Dinobot on Apr 7, 2011 21:53:41 GMT -5
It's just as awkward for Dinobot to be asked as it is for Kup to do the asking, if that's any comfort. Hanging around with legendary heroes and watching them do mundane things like eat and lament watch schedules is bound to make them less heroic, but being asked for training just shatters all sorts of illusions.
The raptor growls. "I'll have the chamber waiting for you, then." He still hasn't decided whether or not he's going to ambush Kup to get a sense of where the old warhorse's skills are at.
OOC: Skip away!
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Post by Kup on Apr 8, 2011 18:03:07 GMT -5
The idea that Kup seeming less awesome is making this awkward for Dinobot wouldn't be any comfort, really.
Actually, there's a good chance that if Kup knew that, he'd back down and try to figure some other way to do this instead (and probably do something pretty stupid in the process).
He gives a quick nod. "Gotcha," is all he says before he turns to head out, mentally going over who else he'll have to talk to about this.
Slag it all...
Later...
Kup strolls into the simulation room, as casually as he strolls down the passageways of the Event Horizon. This is, of course, the casualness of a trained security officer, one who's good at being watchful when he doesn't look it, one with a constant optic out for out of place details...
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Dinobot
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Death Before Dishonor
Posts: 302
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Post by Dinobot on Apr 9, 2011 12:57:57 GMT -5
The simulation room is currently set to resemble the run-down Predacon slums of Cybertropolis, though Kup will find that it's all scaled so he isn't a giant. Various Predacons hurry out of sight as Kup strolls casually by, disappearing down alleys and behind doors.
The first out-of-place detail Kup will notice is Dinobot charging at him out of an alley. The second and third details he's likely to notice are Dinobot and Dinobot leaping off a rooftop and creeping up on him from behind.
Only one of the raptors is real. The other two are hard-light simulations. Of course, they all still hurt when they hit.
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Post by Kup on Apr 10, 2011 18:51:15 GMT -5
Kup had been expecting some sort of attack - Kup tends to expect some sort of attack a lot of the time, but this time more so than usual.
He squashes the temptation to draw his musket. Tactically, the more enemies you can take out before they get to melee range, the better things will go for you, but this isn't about training in the use of his musket. Instead, he just twists to the side so that he's no longer in the 'mouth' of the alley, ducked now around the corner of the building, his back to it. This makes it harder for anyone to creep up behind him, and means that alley-Dinobot will have to turn a blind corner to get at him. He should have an easy time figuring out where Kup is, though - a kick against the building side rocks the building, an attempt to disturb rooftop Dinobot's balance as that leap is made.
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Dinobot
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Death Before Dishonor
Posts: 302
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Post by Dinobot on Apr 10, 2011 22:21:34 GMT -5
Kup is a wily old buzzard, Dinobot will give him that.
The raptor behind Kup, seeing that his sneak attack has been thwarted, charges in to attack, swinging his sword and shrieking a warcry. The one in the alley emerges slowly around the aforementioned blind corner, shield held in front and sword at the ready. The Dinobot on the roof is thrown off balance by Kup's kick (shoddy slum architecture!) and has to catch himself on the lip of the roof and slide down the wall to keep from impacting the ground face-first. This leaves him vulnerable until he has a chance to spring off the wall.
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Post by Kup on Apr 11, 2011 21:21:09 GMT -5
Kup's never been particularly agile (and now, with his joints aging as they are, less so than his youth), so he's no where near nimble enough to go dancing out of Dinobot's swinging sword. However, he's one who knows his own strengths and weaknesses very well - patience, a good sense of timing, and being tough enough to outlast most opponents usually make up for his shortcomings. He's going to take this hit, and he knows he's got no choice, so instead he shifts enough to make sure the blow glances off the left shoulder. He continues to turn and, as part of the same movement, moves a foot into warcry-Dinobot's path and brings his hand up behind him, attempting to push him into blind-corner-shield Dinobot.
Roof-Dinobot is not forgotten, but as much as Kup would love to take advantage of his opponent's vulnerability, he's got more immediate threats to deal with.
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