Cold be Damned

[andrend]

WHO: Kylo Ren
WHERE: Around the village, the mill, the fountain,
WHEN: Sunday (Morning -> Late Evening)
OPEN TO: Anyone
WARNINGS: Potential for violence
STATUS: Closed

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Guard Duty at the Fountain - Early Morning
Closed

Ren volunteered to keep an eye on the fountain and he intended to keep up with it. Torches seemed a precious resource, and while he appreciated the suggestion, and the light and minor warmth on his hand in the evening, the moment the sun's light begins to touch the sky the torch is out. With a re-purposed curtain rod in one hand, and the grizzly appearance of the dead, alien creature that had been dragged through the inn still in his mind, Ren's senses were on high alert.

There was no room in the village for complacency or allowing himself to get comfortable. He wasn't comfortable. They had not been put in this place for a vacation. At best it was a prison, and for now, he was making himself a guard rather than a prisoner.

Sparring at the Mill - Morning/Early Afternoon
Closed

Ren had made two visits back to the Mill since learning about the location from Sam. The first to check for clues he or Hux may have left behind in the building and the second to search the grounds around it. The snow was too built up now for much searching. The river that passed between the Mill and the Village looked like a waiting threat, with chunks of half frozen snow pulled by the water drifting by. Ren had flattened an area of snow down into a packed circle in front of the mill. It was farther from the center of the village, farther from prying eyes and that was what he needed for the sake of his focus.

He twirled the rod with one hand and switched it off, testing the weight and balance of it. Most of the ones he had tried initially had been hollow, but this one was solid and a good four feet in length. Heavy but durable, and the weight was no issue for him. Despite the chill in the weather, his coat was hanging off one of the mill's window shutters at thee far end of the circle. He had finally submitted to wearing the long john pants under the black cotton trousers, but for this his top was nothing more than a white tank top and two cotton socks he had destroyed to fashion into arm warmers.

He let the anger, frustration and doubt ebb away with the isolation and found his grip on the rod where the balance was best. Fighting with a staff was not his strongest suit, but he had trained in it, and he knew the ways to move it and move with it to defend himself and retaliate. Within fifteen minutes of repetitions and drills the snow beneath his feet was packed thin and solid, firm to stand on. He could barely feel the cold from the work out, and he had no intention of stopping the sweeping strikes, lunges and footwork he needed to get down properly any time soon.

Early Evening - The Inn
Closed

Ren disliked relying on the people in the village with him. He needed to get weapons and a way to reliably start fires and get fire wood beyond the branches he broke from the forest trees. The house he shared with Jean had amassed a fair collection of branches over the month, and they did fine for keeping the furnace going where needed but it wasn't smart to rely on such meager supplies and they still mostly needed the inn and the help of the village for supplies.

When Ren entered, he had the curtain rod tied to his back and his coat draped over the far too thin tank top he had worn beneath it. His arms were full with a large stack of thick branches from the trees on the other side of the river, and a rabbit he had found at the river edge. He didn't have the tools to clean it, or the experience, and rather than take it back to keep for himself and Jean, he decided to make a gesture. Until he could avoid relying on these people he had to at least appear to be helpful.

He set the frozen wood against the wall in the room with the fireplace, picked the rabbit back up and carried it to the kitchen, laying it out on the counter for Kate or whoever else decided to make use of it. Surely someone would find a use for it that evening or the next afternoon. He leaned on the counter, twisting the sink on a little further to wash his hands and face with the water, drinking a handful against whatever better judgement anyone might have. What didn't kill him would make him stronger.

OOC: If you would like to hit me up in a pm or on plurk (punctuation) to plan anything else out, I'm all for it and willing to work things in. Onward into the week will be a similar routine for Ren, other than the days with sleet where his practice will be in the cellar of house 40.

Comments

[turned_to_steel]

The way she bit at her lip was the only sign that she was taking his worries to heart and starting to worry over it a bit herself. He was right, though. They were definitely trapped with no way to escape or to even hide easily if they needed to. They could use their homes if needed but she also knew they wouldn't offer very much protection against a determined attacker. The idea had a little chill of dread curling in the pit of her stomach as she nodded her head slowly. "I see what you mean. Perhaps if we could build watch towers or even a wall to surround the village."

She just wasn't sure if they could get all the supplies they needed for such a task.

Then she looked to the staff again, studying it with a quietly, calculating gaze before lifting her eyes to his face once more. "I think you're very skilled with it. I was watching you for a little while and I don't think I would wish to cross you at all."

A pause. "Is that style of fighting very hard to learn?"

[andrend]

Watch towers were not a terrible idea. A wall seemed a bit further beyond their supply reach but it was still worth considering. And while he was considering, he watched her with a curious glance of his own. There was motive behind her question, but it was one he thought he both understood and would not mind helping her with. He moved along the wall to grab the second metal rod, less worn in places and lacking the bit of cloth he had tied around the middle.

He offered it, open palmed to Sansa, and tilted his head slightly to the side.

"It isn't if you have the dedication to see it through." He waited to see if she would take it and offered, "I could teach you."

[turned_to_steel]

A sturdy wall that would be any use to them would be nearly impossible right now but she wondered if, maybe some day, it would be possible to start some kind of construction. But maybe she would suggest watchtowers to Robb and Jon to see what they thought.

She let that line of thought drift away as she switched to the topic of weapons, watching him when he moved to grab another metal rod that he had sitting and waiting. She wondered if maybe he was waiting for someone to come and spar with him but she had an opportunity now.

Glancing down at Akira, she made a motion with her hand and murmured a soft command that had the puppy laying down with a wag of her tail. Sansa smiled before lifting her attention back to Kylo, reaching out to take the rod while nibbling at her bottom lip. Dedication wasn't really an issue for her but she wondered if he would have the patience to teach her since she had no skill in fighting at all.

"How often would we have to train?" She asked curiously.

[andrend]

"Every day, and there would be no end point. The moment you stop training, you begin to lose what you have gained." Ren spared nothing in his response. It was the honest truth. He had not stopped his training for a day since it had begun, and he would continue until the day he died to avoid growing complacent with his skills or losing even an ounce of his carefully fought for focus and control. When it came to the things Ren wanted and the goals he set for himself, his patience was nearly unlimited. Frayed thin only by a stacking of downfalls and failures until his goals were ripped out from under him and he could be patient no longer.

"You would not need to train with me every single day, but if you were serious in your desire to learn, you would need to discipline yourself. You can only accomplish as much as you demand from yourself." He watched the puppy with some level of respect, impressed she seemingly already had control over the young beast. Perhaps there was hope for her. If she truly wanted to train, he would not hesitate to offer to train her. The better prepared the rest of the village was, the better their standing as a whole, for all he might not like most of them.

He watched her with a curious and steady gaze, before reaching out to correct the placement of her hands.

"Hold it open in your palms and feel the weight to either side. Find the points where you can feel it balance."

[turned_to_steel]

Sansa was fairly sure that she had heard her father say the same thing to the men working under him and so she nodded slowly with understanding when Kylo said it to her. She didn't look surprised nor did she complain about the idea that she would have to train every day to try mastering how to fight with this kind of weapon. She suspected it would be like that with any kind of weapon that she wanted to try.

"I'm sure that you have other duties that would make it difficult for us to train every day but perhaps we could meet every other day or every three days to make sure that I am progressing correctly?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. There were other people that she could ask to help her as she continued to learn but she wasn't sure if they were as skilled in fighting in the way Kylo seemed to be.

She focused on him again when he started to give her instructions, moving to do as he said as she held the rod in both hands to find a comfortable way of holding it. Once she had her hands about a fist width apart (holding it a little like a sword), she looked at him again. "Like this?"

[andrend]

"Like that, yes. Now flip this hand around so one palm is on top and one is beneath, and drop the staff to your waist. Your hands should be at least shoulders length apart so your arms are slack, not bent." He tried to guide her movements with as little contact as possible. Not out of reluctance, but out of his belief that she needed to feel it for herself. If she didn't find her own way to a proper grip, she would not be able to when he was not around to correct her.

"Find your grip, wider or tighter based on what feels stronger, but try to keep it within this distance. It will help you balance the staff and keep it from being knocked from your hands. This is a two handed weapon. Keeping your hands too close together only serves to weaken your strength and steadiness with it."

She showed promise, at least. Ren didn't feel like she would be an overly difficult student. Perhaps he could make something of it, at least, and it would give him something to focus on for a while. Even if a voice at the back of his mind cautioned against it being a distraction.

"Every other, every three. Whichever you prefer, as long as you continue your routine in the days between."