Beautiful dancer...

"You move beautifully," Kiril says, breaking into her reverie. "Would you like me to teach you?" Then he holds out a hand to her.

As Spring moves in imitation of him, she hasn't realized that Kiril has stopped moving, instead stands, watching her, with a smile on his face.

For the next quarter hour, he leads her in limbering exercises, followed by another quarter hour of swings and thrusts with her dagger. Spring realizes that what she is learning is far more economical with her motions which will let her conserve her energy while still delivering maximum force to her opponent. Now she begins to see what can make some, like him, so effective in the brutality of combat. What makes him so good at killing. A sobering realization.

Kiril seems to sense this, and, without prompting, addresses this point to her when he says, "I can see that you are understanding how this is more effective. I also sense that the thought of how much easier it will be to cause lethal damage is troubling. I, for one, do not relish the slaughter, the taking of lives. But it is an inevitable part of our existence. As long as there are those that will oppress, murder, rape and steal from others through the force of arms, the need will be upon us. And since that's the way it is, I prefer to do this the best that I can, as should you. Spring, the thought that you coud take a mortal wound is very troubling to me. Very troubling indeed. So, I want you to always return, and the other guy, well, the hell with them."

Gathering himself, Kiril moves on. "I think I have taken enough of your energy for this first day, but there is one more thing I wish to show you. How to fall without taking undo injury. This can be fun." And then he demonstrates by falling backwards, but instead of just lading on his back, he hunches his body as he falls, and then rolls, coming back to his feet, easily, more graceful than should be possible. He does this a few more times, instructing her on just what he is doing as he does.

"Now your turn," he says with a grin. Seeing the doubt on her face, he moves behind her and says into her ear as his arms go around her, "Just relax your body as I roll for the both of us, this way you can feel the motion of the move before attempting it yourself." And as soon as he feels her relax, she finds her self falling backwards, then tumbling head over heels, with his strong arms holding her, his hard, yet cushioning body tight to hers, then coming to their feet at the end.

"See, fun!" Kiril says, and then, "Again!" he is laughing gently. Before the thought can register, they have completed the maneuver again.

"One more time," and, as Spring relaxes into him, they fall, and tumble, but this time, impossibly, he separates his body from hers, and she finds herself on her feet, having completed the tumble roll on her own.

"Yes!" he says, his eyes blazing at her triumph. Seemingly without thought, he has moved the couple of paces to her and gathered her into his arms. "See, fun, and you do the moves well." Kiril smiles down at her.

Then he realizes that he is holding her close, so close. His lips part a bit and he groans, "Spriiiinnngg..."

o0o