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rainbowfic2024-12-31 04:07 pm
wallwalker) wrote in rainbowfic2024-12-31 04:07 pm
Metallic Gold 7, Psychedelic Purple 22 - Combat Training
Author: Wallwalker
Story: Combat Training
Colors: Metallic Gold 7. Skill, Psychedelic Purple 22. it's getting better all the time
Supplies: Seed Beads, Pastels (Four Or More Bingo, combat training)
Style: Silhouette
Word Count: 989
Rating: T
Content notes: Polyamory, pre-relationship
Summary: Gemma and Luisa begin their combat training.
Note: Set in the same universe as War and Confidence, my side-stories about the four soldiers again.
Current claim list, in progress.
---
Was learning to fight supposed to be this boring?
Gemma was taking her turn to rest by the wall. She had spent the morning practicing how to hold and swing a sword; their new commander had insisted. They needed to evaluate their combat skills, he had said, and simple weapons were a good place to start.
She'd thought that the light blade that Michele had chosen for her would be easy to swing, and maybe it had been the first few times. But he hadn't been satisfied with a few, and had kept correcting her, telling to change her stance, bend her knees more, change the way she held the blade lest she cause more damage to herself than to the roughly human-shaped figure she was striking.
Now her arms felt like they were going to fall off if someone looked at them wrong, and she was sure she had learned nothing for her troubles. Michele was too polite to say so but he'd probably stopped her because he thought training her was a waste of time. He was working with Luisa now, and had of course chosen a much larger and heavier weapon for her. They hadn't gotten to the dummy yet; he was teaching her how to swing the massive sword in front of her, to deny an approach, he said. She was doing well enough; Gemma certainly wouldn't have wanted to be trying to attack her at that moment.
She rolled her shoulders, trying to get them back into some sort of shape, but they felt so weak and useless. She was grateful to old Alessandro for helping them - and of course for saving sweet Luisa's life - but she wasn't sure this was going to work out, to tell the truth. She had been good at living on the streets, at hiding, searching, stealing. She'd just been unlucky enough to get caught that last time - the one time that Luisa had gotten involved, when she'd killed the boy who'd been trying to tear Gemma's clothes off.
Poor Luisa, she thought. She'd never wanted her to know how bad things could be, or what it felt like to watch someone die. It was the guilt, more than anything, that kept Gemma there... that and how much Luisa seemed to be taking to their new life. She could see her struggling as much as Gemma had to keep going, and yet she still smiled every time Michele told her to hold, said she was doing well.
No, she didn't smile; she beamed. Gemma didn't know she'd ever see her smile like that for anyone else. Maybe she should've been jealous, but she wasn't; after everything the woman had been through, she deserved whatever she wanted. Besides, Gemma knew that she wasn't the sort for romances like the sort she'd read in books. Maybe he'd be better at it.
She heard someone cough and looked up, though she'd already known who it was. "Matteo," she said by way of greeting as he sat next to her. "Come to join me in my torment?"
"Oh, aye," he said, carefully moving and gritting his teeth. "You know how misery loves company."
She smiled in spite of herself. If there was anything that Matteo couldn't joke about, she hadn't yet found it. He'd even cracked a joke or two with the doctor who'd treated her, after that incident she didn't like to think about. She didn't remember the jokes - she'd been too tired and in too much pain for that - but the man had laughed, so they must've been somewhat amusing. "Have you come to train with us?" she asked.
"Ah... no. Commander Alessandro saw to that personally. I've never been much good with swords."
"I've never even touched one before today," she said, with a touch of asperity. "And yet."
"And yet." Matteo smiled. "But now that you two have recovered, the commander will want to know what potential you have. He'll let you choose your weapon once you've had a chance to try a few."
"I'd think he'd want to be here himself, in that case."
"Michele will report back to him. He's been with the commander for longer than I have."
She sighed and leaned back, and let her head rest on Matteo's shoulder. The man was warm and steady; she still remembered leaning against him as they made their way back to safety. She'd been in pain from the broken rib and the messed-up arm, and he'd even offered to carry her - and she didn't doubt he could've done it, as big and strong as he was. She just didn't like not being on her own two feet.
He'd always been kind to them. She'd wanted to pay him back, but she didn't know too many ways to pay someone back for helping her, and so far he hadn't shown any interest in any of the ones she did know. She kept telling herself she'd talk to him about it later, but the words just hadn't come to her yet.
"Don't worry," he said. "You'll catch on faster than you know, and it'll get just get better from now on. Just make sure you eat well tonight so you can heal."
She'd nodded, watching the others - Michele was explaining something to Luisa, who was still smiling at him and nodding along. She wondered, had he noticed that she liked him yet? He seemed so serious, so oblivious. Definitely not Gemma's type - the boy was too clean-cut for her - but she could see why Luisa was so taken with him. She would have to talk to her that night and reassure her, and maybe help her out a bit.
"It's got to be better than where we were," she said. If not for her, she thought, then for someone she loved. She might be lost, but she wasn't going to lose hope yet.
.
Story: Combat Training
Colors: Metallic Gold 7. Skill, Psychedelic Purple 22. it's getting better all the time
Supplies: Seed Beads, Pastels (Four Or More Bingo, combat training)
Style: Silhouette
Word Count: 989
Rating: T
Content notes: Polyamory, pre-relationship
Summary: Gemma and Luisa begin their combat training.
Note: Set in the same universe as War and Confidence, my side-stories about the four soldiers again.
Current claim list, in progress.
---
Was learning to fight supposed to be this boring?
Gemma was taking her turn to rest by the wall. She had spent the morning practicing how to hold and swing a sword; their new commander had insisted. They needed to evaluate their combat skills, he had said, and simple weapons were a good place to start.
She'd thought that the light blade that Michele had chosen for her would be easy to swing, and maybe it had been the first few times. But he hadn't been satisfied with a few, and had kept correcting her, telling to change her stance, bend her knees more, change the way she held the blade lest she cause more damage to herself than to the roughly human-shaped figure she was striking.
Now her arms felt like they were going to fall off if someone looked at them wrong, and she was sure she had learned nothing for her troubles. Michele was too polite to say so but he'd probably stopped her because he thought training her was a waste of time. He was working with Luisa now, and had of course chosen a much larger and heavier weapon for her. They hadn't gotten to the dummy yet; he was teaching her how to swing the massive sword in front of her, to deny an approach, he said. She was doing well enough; Gemma certainly wouldn't have wanted to be trying to attack her at that moment.
She rolled her shoulders, trying to get them back into some sort of shape, but they felt so weak and useless. She was grateful to old Alessandro for helping them - and of course for saving sweet Luisa's life - but she wasn't sure this was going to work out, to tell the truth. She had been good at living on the streets, at hiding, searching, stealing. She'd just been unlucky enough to get caught that last time - the one time that Luisa had gotten involved, when she'd killed the boy who'd been trying to tear Gemma's clothes off.
Poor Luisa, she thought. She'd never wanted her to know how bad things could be, or what it felt like to watch someone die. It was the guilt, more than anything, that kept Gemma there... that and how much Luisa seemed to be taking to their new life. She could see her struggling as much as Gemma had to keep going, and yet she still smiled every time Michele told her to hold, said she was doing well.
No, she didn't smile; she beamed. Gemma didn't know she'd ever see her smile like that for anyone else. Maybe she should've been jealous, but she wasn't; after everything the woman had been through, she deserved whatever she wanted. Besides, Gemma knew that she wasn't the sort for romances like the sort she'd read in books. Maybe he'd be better at it.
She heard someone cough and looked up, though she'd already known who it was. "Matteo," she said by way of greeting as he sat next to her. "Come to join me in my torment?"
"Oh, aye," he said, carefully moving and gritting his teeth. "You know how misery loves company."
She smiled in spite of herself. If there was anything that Matteo couldn't joke about, she hadn't yet found it. He'd even cracked a joke or two with the doctor who'd treated her, after that incident she didn't like to think about. She didn't remember the jokes - she'd been too tired and in too much pain for that - but the man had laughed, so they must've been somewhat amusing. "Have you come to train with us?" she asked.
"Ah... no. Commander Alessandro saw to that personally. I've never been much good with swords."
"I've never even touched one before today," she said, with a touch of asperity. "And yet."
"And yet." Matteo smiled. "But now that you two have recovered, the commander will want to know what potential you have. He'll let you choose your weapon once you've had a chance to try a few."
"I'd think he'd want to be here himself, in that case."
"Michele will report back to him. He's been with the commander for longer than I have."
She sighed and leaned back, and let her head rest on Matteo's shoulder. The man was warm and steady; she still remembered leaning against him as they made their way back to safety. She'd been in pain from the broken rib and the messed-up arm, and he'd even offered to carry her - and she didn't doubt he could've done it, as big and strong as he was. She just didn't like not being on her own two feet.
He'd always been kind to them. She'd wanted to pay him back, but she didn't know too many ways to pay someone back for helping her, and so far he hadn't shown any interest in any of the ones she did know. She kept telling herself she'd talk to him about it later, but the words just hadn't come to her yet.
"Don't worry," he said. "You'll catch on faster than you know, and it'll get just get better from now on. Just make sure you eat well tonight so you can heal."
She'd nodded, watching the others - Michele was explaining something to Luisa, who was still smiling at him and nodding along. She wondered, had he noticed that she liked him yet? He seemed so serious, so oblivious. Definitely not Gemma's type - the boy was too clean-cut for her - but she could see why Luisa was so taken with him. She would have to talk to her that night and reassure her, and maybe help her out a bit.
"It's got to be better than where we were," she said. If not for her, she thought, then for someone she loved. She might be lost, but she wasn't going to lose hope yet.
.
no subject
I'm (relatively) new and haven't read anything you posted in this universe previously, but it sounds like these characters have been through some stuff together and I'd love to read more. I'm not sure if Michele is part of the eventual poly ship, or you are doing a sedoretu-type thing?
"He'd always been a sweet guy to him." - I think it was supposed to be "He'd always been a sweet guy to her", right?
no subject
And yeah, I always miss a few typos... fixed that one!
Thank you!
no subject