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It's been quite a while since Grantaire, with any regularity, picked up his canne de combat or practiced even the more basic of boxing and savate. Although there's plenty of reason for that -- ranging from being busy with Green Gardens and set design for Shakespeare in the Park to the stress of a wedding to simple lazy domesticity -- as the days push onward toward his birthday and another year he finds himself critiquing his lack of discipline. It's funny how changes for the better can make one feel old.
There's always a bit of strange energy too, in the fall. The dark clings, in these shorter days, and drags at him, making him feel restless and inert at the same time. And there's a sort of ominousness; it's so rare that the end of October goes smoothly that being prepared for anything seems sensible.
So it is that he makes himself go to the gym, to box and spar and wear himself out, and after one visit leaves him cursing sloppy technique but pleasantly sore and remembering his own strength, he decides to go again.
This time, he invites a friend who can fight him more roughly than a bag.
There's always a bit of strange energy too, in the fall. The dark clings, in these shorter days, and drags at him, making him feel restless and inert at the same time. And there's a sort of ominousness; it's so rare that the end of October goes smoothly that being prepared for anything seems sensible.
So it is that he makes himself go to the gym, to box and spar and wear himself out, and after one visit leaves him cursing sloppy technique but pleasantly sore and remembering his own strength, he decides to go again.
This time, he invites a friend who can fight him more roughly than a bag.
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Date: 2019-10-17 07:36 am (UTC)For a while there, she'd been properly settled — foolishly, too, she thinks now. When she started to feel otherwise, it was easy to find an outlet and get it out of her system. Now, she feels restless and on edge almost all the time, the city seeming so much smaller than it once did. So when Grantaire asks if she wants to meet him to spar, she doesn't hesitate to agree. It might do her a little good.
"Hey," she says when she walks into the gym and spots him, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder. "Haven't done this in a while." She's done plenty of sparring and fighting of late, but not with Grantaire. Now's as good a time as any to change that.
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Date: 2019-10-24 05:18 am (UTC)It's immediately relieving, though, to see her - both in general and in such a familiar context, and Grantaire doesn't dive straight into concern, rather choosing to keep things light. Sparring is a good outlet all on its own.
"You might even have an edge up," he teases with a grin, tossing his baton from one hand to another.
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Date: 2019-10-29 06:56 am (UTC)Setting her bag down on the floor out of the way, she crouches to fish her own baton out of it, rifling past clothes to do so. She's been carrying her belongings with her, the way she used to when she was on the run for all those years; it just feels familiar, right, more so than staying in the house or putting down roots somewhere else would.
"I might," she agrees as she straightens. "But I promise not to kick your ass too badly."
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Date: 2019-11-02 05:46 am (UTC)"In that case, then." He gestures her to come on into the ring when she's ready, spinning his own baton between his hands and loosening up his shoulders. He doesn't intend to jump right into full combat, since she's only just gotten here, but if Jyn wants to set a hard pace, he's ready for one.
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Date: 2019-11-07 09:14 am (UTC)The chances of that seem slim, of course. If anything, part of her can't help but wonder if it's dangerous to be sparring with a friend when her nerves are so raw, making her badly want an outlet, but she isn't going to back out now. She can be careful, and do so without taking it too easy on him.
Heading into the ring, she smiles faintly. "Let's do this."
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Date: 2019-11-09 11:48 pm (UTC)They circle for just a moment before he advances, striking forward toward her shoulder in an easy "come on".
"To knockdown?" he asks, since they're not in the fray yet. "Best of three?"
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Date: 2019-11-15 05:37 am (UTC)She appreciates that, actually, more than she could ever try to say. Now isn't the time for sentiment even if she were more comfortable with it, though. There's a fight to focus on.
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Date: 2019-12-04 12:15 am (UTC)Grantaire likes to bully into the space of his opponents, trying to duck inside Jyn's reach or step inside her stance. She's shorter than he is, so it's much harder than it would be with someone like Bahorel, back at home, but it keeps them moving.
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Date: 2019-12-07 09:26 am (UTC)She learned young how to use her size to her advantage, to make the most of being small and slight. It's a useful skill now, and tempers her instinct just to attack. Still, the aggressiveness in her movements is something she's unable to hide, and something she imagines he'll expect from times they've sparred before.
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Date: 2019-12-14 05:04 am (UTC)She'd have won by points already, if they were playing at sticks, but to knockdown is a different sort of thing. With her momentum constantly moving forward, he keeps up his quick defense and then abruptly steps out of the way, sweeping his baton down across her step.