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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 31, 2016 22:38:36 GMT -5
Lyra gave him a look as he groaned at her shoes. She would be wearing heels if she were attacked without her wand, so what was the point in anything else? She widened her stance as he said and prepared herself. "Ready," she replied.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 31, 2016 22:45:11 GMT -5
He pushed her lightly and waited for her to catch her balance, "Alright good, a little wider that's it."
He stepped back to examine her stance, "Now it's a little different with heels but your balance should be centered and easily shiftable to either foot." he inspected her stance again and nodded when he was satisfied with her adjustments, "Are you comfortable there?"
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 31, 2016 22:50:29 GMT -5
They teased each other and the sessions were rather entertaining, but Lyra took the training seriously. She was determined not to be a victim again. As Nicolas adjusted her stance and made helpful comments she listened and responded.
She shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't quite feel natural, but yes I think it's okay." Anything wider than what a pencil skirt would allow felt odd to Lyra who was used to taking small, smooth steps and standing in a more graceful position. Lyra's movements were inherently sexy, having learned early on that she didn't need to speak or be overt to catch a boy's eye. It was second nature to her now, and standing to defend herself was foreign.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 31, 2016 22:58:47 GMT -5
"We'll work on it, but this is good for now. Balance is important, it will give you strength when you attack, and keep you from falling when you're on the offensive. Now we're just going to move."
He grinned at her then, "Like a dance, I know how much you love dancing with me." he teased.
Nik mirrored her stance in front of her placing his foot forward where hers was back and his other foot back as hers was forward.
"I want you to put your weight in your hips and bend your knees lightly. When I move backward I want you to move forward, when I move to the side move with me and so on. It should be one movement, like this." he said demonstrating, "And last but not least keep your hands up."
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 31, 2016 23:06:49 GMT -5
She rolled her eyes at the mention of dancing with him, but it was just for show. He was a good dancer and she didn't mind it. He was no Julian, but no one was.
She watched as he mirrored her stance and demonstrated with fluidity how to counter an attacker's movements. She nodded and when he told her to put up her hands, she held her fists up in front of her chest.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 31, 2016 23:16:33 GMT -5
He positioned her fists as he had her feet so that she would further be able to block if the need arose. When they were moving fluidly, he transitioned to throwing a proper punch and using the momentum in her hips and body to create more of an impact.
He spent the next hour working on basic movement, punches and blocking.
After another break he approached her, "More or is that enough for today?"
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 31, 2016 23:24:15 GMT -5
She took a long drink of water before answering. Her muscles were sore from holding positions she was not used to holding, but she could keep going. She had no other plans for the day. Sam was at school. Julian was painting, no doubt. When they were both occupied her next option was Nicolas. It was a common option lately, especially as she was still avoiding Julian.
"Giving up so soon?" she teased. "You haven't even taken a proper go at me. Come on Everhart, let's see what you're made of."
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 31, 2016 23:31:23 GMT -5
"Ugh..." he groaned, "I'm old remember?" he laughed.
"Alright." he sobered, "Let's work on ground work." He chewed his lip and looked at her, "I hate to say it, but it's probably the most important lesson I can teach you."
He hoped to hell Lyra would never fall victim to what he was about to teach her, but if she did he wanted her prepared.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Dec 31, 2016 23:44:07 GMT -5
She didn't know what he meant by "ground work" but whatever it was, she was ready. "Come on, old man. Give it to me." She smiled as she gestured for him to attack her.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Dec 31, 2016 23:56:06 GMT -5
He shook his head with a laugh, "Lay down." then he gave her a look, "And don't get weird on me." he said sternly, "And try not to laugh..." he said as a twitch in his lips said he was close to doing that very thing.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 1, 2017 0:17:37 GMT -5
"Oh," she said as she realized what he was talking about. It was a sobering realization and she wore a look of apprehension for a moment before busting out into a fit of laughter. "I guess 'give it to me' was probably not the right thing to say!"
She continued to laugh as she got onto the floor but tried to school her features into something more serious. But as Nicolas approached she couldn't help but laugh further. "Just do it already," she said, encouraging him to ignore her inappropriate laughter but then laughed harder as she realized what her words had conveyed. "Oh Merlin, I'm going to just shut up now."
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 2, 2017 14:37:56 GMT -5
Nik groaned, "Maybe we should come back to this later." he said reluctantly. He was reluctant to be in such an awkward position, but he was more reluctant to have Lyra unprepared. He sighed, "No no, let's push forward and get it over with." already talking himself out of putting it off.
Then he heard his own words 'push forward' and 'get it over with' and his lips twitched. He was above giggling like a school girl, but the temptation was there.
He started with her on the ground. He showed her the proper way to fall to avoid head injury, and then showed her how to move and keep an attacker away as well as how to get up from the ground without making herself vulnerable.
Finally the time came for the worst case scenario, that of an attacker succeeding in pinning her to the ground.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 2, 2017 15:26:48 GMT -5
Lyra was not above giggling and she did so in spades at Nik's words. After their sex-laden game of Never Have I Ever and Lyra's tantrum in the shower, if there was ever going to be a moment between the two friends that might push them toward something more intimate, it would have been this one. But as Lyra couldn't stop laughing it was clear that there were no such feelings between the two.
She practiced falling backward, something she did not feel graceful in, especially as she continued to hit her head on the floor which only made her laugh harder. Finally when she showed some consistency in avoiding injuring, Nik moved on. Getting up from an attack was difficult in her heels and she frequently left herself open for further attack. At one point she agreed to practice without the shoes, but after she perfected the movements she insisted they practice in her heels. She felt more vulnerable without them than with them; they were like her armor.
"This is like your dream scenario, isn't it?" she teased Nik as he pinned her to the ground. She was looking up at him as he hovered over her and she couldn't help but giggle. "Tell me what you want me to do," she urged him. She was anxious for this part of the lesson to be over. She didn't like the idea of being in this position without consent and the idea that it could have happened that night when she had gone out with Sam and Christine made her chest hurt.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 2, 2017 22:29:17 GMT -5
Nik peered down at her in her vulnerable position and sighed, then he gave her a serious, sober, expression, "To be honest with you, this is my worst nightmare." he said sincerely.
"For you, for Sam, for anyone I care about." he swallowed back the anger and rage that came with the thought someone could hurt 'his' girls like this. He wasn't proprietary in the usual sense. He didn't think women were weak and needed his protection, he knew better otherwise he wouldn't be teaching Lyra the skills she would need to defend herself, but they were still 'his'. He felt the same way about his male friends. His friends in general, in a way they belonged to him, he was fiercely protective almost like a mother bear.
The training lesson took a serious tone at that point, there were no giggles or twitching of lips as he trained her how to keep her assailant from hurting her and how to escape from being pinned down.
"Here, it's easier if I show you want I mean." he said getting off of her and laying on his back. The mood had changed, it wasn't funny. Though the idea of something romantic happening between them was still hilarious, this was for her protection. And the image of the masked man attacking her in this way kept Nik from making any remarks. He let her straddle him and placed his hands on her thighs.
His thumbs pressed inward on her thighs, "Your elbows come in and dig in here, which prevents him from moving upward. In order for him to strike you now he has to use more momentum and when he rises up to do so you buck and trap him like I showed you."
"These are pressure points. I'm going to dig in a little and you'll feel what I'm talking about."
He looked up sincerely, waiting for her attention and permission, as he did anytime the training might have caused her pain. She wasn't being stubborn like the first time they dueled where he had to rile her up to get her to fight back, so there was no need to act the ass. He was actually a very considerate and patient teacher.
He pressed her thighs a little firmer, "Feel that?" he asked.
***
Julian stopped as soon as he heard Nik's words and saw Lyra straddled on top of his best friend. Even though they were fully clothed, the intensity between them was palpable.
Nik's flirtatious question as to whether or not Lyra could feel him beneath her made Julian's skin crawl. He didn't react. He couldn't. Then suddenly he could. His feet were moving, and the next moment he was back at his own estate somehow.
His feet kept moving until he reached his studio. A broken innocent part of him reached for a paintbrush hoping he could paint away the heartache and madness of what he had witnessed.
But there was no painting capable of holding the rage of what he felt. There was a beast inside of him snarling and hissing, bucking at the restraint he had shown for so many years. He suddenly went wild. The years of agony for Belle's death, the dark mystery that clouded his past and caused his emotional lock down in the first place, and the deep passion he had felt for Lyra - both the senseless inescapable passion that consumed him when they were together, and the deep vicious rage that consumed him at Nik and Lyra's betrayal, was suddenly unleashed on his private sanctuary.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 2, 2017 22:52:23 GMT -5
The shift in their lesson was evident as neither no longer felt the urge to make jokes or innuendo. As seriously as Nicolas took this part of the lesson, Lyra was even more adamant in it. It was her body at stake, after all.
She listened intently, looking down at him as she sat on top of him. She found nothing romantic in the position as Nik pressed the pressure points on her thighs. Her jaw clenched slightly, the only clue that she felt the slight pain he was inducing. It was obvious he was being gentle and she could sense that with enough pressure it would hurt much worse. She nodded in response to his question.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 2, 2017 22:55:31 GMT -5
"Good, you dig in there with your elbows and lock up. If he moves up you move up, but you keep your elbows there, he won't want to push forward with the pressure, and you can keep your hands up as well. Play defensive until he makes his move. Now try and punch me."
When she maneuvered to hit him he bucked her forward with his hips, but because she was significantly smaller she flew further than he had intended.
"Sh*t, are you okay?"
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 2, 2017 23:03:52 GMT -5
"Gladly," she said with a smirk as he directed her to punch him. She didn't put much force behind it, they were only going through the motions so she could see what she needed to do. Obviously Nicolas forgot about that.
"Wanker," she groaned as she righted herself. "Yeah, f*ck. Yeah, I'm fine."
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 2, 2017 23:11:33 GMT -5
He laughed as soon as he knew she was alright, "I can't help it if you weigh less than a fruit fly." he teased, "A sandwich wouldn't kill you."
He stood up gracefully and offered her a hand to get up, "Come on, you must be hungry."
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Post by Lyra Newbury on Jan 2, 2017 23:19:48 GMT -5
"You can help if you throw me half way 'cross the room," she retorted. "And I'll have you know I've gained two pounds thanks to our little sessions! I thought all this exercising would help me lose weight but now I've got these things called muscles..." She flexed her thin arms in demonstration. It was an underwhelming display.
She took his hand and allowed him to pull her up from the floor. She dusted herself off and straightened her dress. "I've already told you, I'm not eating anything you prepare." She glared teasingly at him, reminding him of the purple spots he had hexed her with when she stole his sandwich on their first lesson.
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on Jan 2, 2017 23:36:32 GMT -5
He nearly snorted in laughter when she showed her 'muscles'.
"Who said I was cooking?" he scoffed, "Oh very well if you don't feel like cooking for me after all I've done for you, I suppose we could go out to eat."
He made a facial expression of disgust, "But I'll have to shower first, and wash the Lyra-ness off."
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