It's Parent-Teacher Midafternoon At The Ol' Secret Training Grounds [closed]

[summerdude]

Magnus, who now definitely knows that many mansion residents keep specific daily schedules (thanks Galahad!), can reliably find Hanguang-jun whenever he needs him. (Unless it's the part of the schedule when Hanguang-jun is alone with Wei Wuxian, in which case Magnus can find him but, for the sake of his own mental peace, elects to never ever do that unless it's a genuine emergency.) He can also reliably find Galahad, Sunny, at least one of their shared fathers, Tress, and sometimes Claudius, except Claudius's unpredictability is genuinely unpredictable, as opposed to, say, Tally's unpredictability, which is predictably unpredictable.

Lancelot is definitely a regular schedule kind of guy, but outside of their training sessions, Magnus has no idea what it is. Magnus asks Galahad since Galahad is his go-to calendar and schedules guy; Galahad's brow wrinkles infinitesimally in the way that, on someone else, would be an incredulous, laughing 'what are you up to?' and his lips quirk when Magnus clarifies that he has really reasonable regular normal reasons for wanting to know. (Then Galahad tells him Susan's schedule, which is helpful, because Magnus is generally interested in avoiding her.)

All of this to say that Magnus doesn't actually manage to track Lancelot down and give him a heads up on the same morning he non-randomly encounters Hanguang-jun after dropping Sunny back with their dads, and impulsively asks "So, wanna do parent-teacher conference day? Me and Lancelot train after lunch in that clearing way out past Dads' house."

Whatever. He'd cleared that it was okay with Lancelot at, like, some point, so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

So in the end, Lancelot gets about thirty seconds' warning that Hanguang-jun will be joining, between when Magnus rocks up, practice sword in one hand, shield in the other, and Jack flying around behind him, calling, "How's it going, Swordmaster Dickface^*? We've got company today," and when Hanguang-jun alights from Bichen.


*He's still workshopping appropriate nicknames

Comments

[lanselos_du_lac]

"You're ready?" Lancelot asks Magnus, the smile brightening a little. He moves to his usual starting point and eases into his stance, shield up. He looks comfortable, relaxed.

[lightbearinglord]

Sincerely interested to see this, Lan Wangji positions himself at the edge of their makeshift training yard. His hands tuck themselves neatly behind his back, and his eyes are sharp on both of them.

[summerdude]

Magnus has learned a lot over the past eightish months. Even with his nerves, Hanguang-jun will see that he advances with more confidence than the few times they sparred upon his arrival, fast and focused and with a good economy of movement. He and Lancelot have been working on his openings lately, and he tries a new feint right off the bat.

[lanselos_du_lac]

Lancelot slips quickly to the side, turning to swing his blade in a counter with the goal of putting Magnus a little off-balance.

[summerdude]

It does, and Magnus dances to the side, bringing his shield up as he tries to center himself again. He's getting steadily better at his recoveries, and it's only a moment or two before he's twisting to change the angle of his next attack.

[lanselos_du_lac]

This, Lancelot bats away with his own shield, even as he brings his blade up inside the area of Magnus' guard.

[summerdude]

Magnus grins and brings his arm down, knocking his wrist against Lancelot's. There's probably something better he could be doing with the sword he's holding, but it's still hard for him to redirect it in a useful way when they're in close quarters like this. He still counts the move as a success: the edge of Lancelot's blade manages to nick his t-shirt, but nothing else.

[lanselos_du_lac]

"Aha!" Lancelot laughs, backing off for a moment. "'Tis good we are not fencing -- a touch for both, in that case."

[summerdude]

"I don't get the point of fencing," Magnus says, mostly to be obstinate, "unless the fencing we're talking about involves stolen goods. Hey, Teach, I bet I could pickpocket you and you'd never even know." As he's talking, he's settling back into position...

...and remembering that Hanguang-jun is there. He glances over, again a little nervous.

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji, of course, is observing with a perfectly expressionless expression in place. He notes all the ways in which Magnus has improved: his increased confidence, the concision of his movement, the way he has learned to inhabit his own body with greater comfort. If this is the unchanging body he is to have for the rest of his days, that comfort will serve him well.

He meets Magnus' gaze with a little warmth, nearly invisible to the average observer. "The use of the shield remains novel to me," he remarks; normally he would say nothing at all here, but he has the sense that Magnus wants to be assured of him. He doesn't raise his voice at all, but it still carries.

[lanselos_du_lac]

"If we were fencing, we'd have no shields-- but Magnus requested this style of fighting, and I was glad to oblige."

He returns to his spot, taking up his stance again and saying to Magnus, "The point of fencing is, of course, to practice one's skills but it is also for sport and enjoyment."

[summerdude]

"The swords are so skinny they can't even do anything. They have Fencing To the Death in Valhalla and it always takes forever because they can barely stab." Magnus wrinkles his nose. "Usually the fencers end up bludgeoning each other with their helmets to get the job done." This time he's going to let Lancelot start, so he makes a come at me, bro sort of gesture around the hilt. (The gesture? Is Magnus flipping Lancelot the bird. Whatever, he knows what Magnus means by that.)

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji could comment on the obvious fact that an activity intended for practice and sportsmanship should not need death as its aim. He could also comment on the dismal brutality of Valhalla. But, of course, he makes no comment at all, and he schools his expression to bland neutrality as he prepares to observe their second round.

[lanselos_du_lac]

"Magnus," Lancelot says, level and nearly as dryly as Galahad can often be, "I am not fencing Laertes to the death."

Then he launches himself toward Magnus, fairly aggressively, testing whether he thinks to deflect without creating a larger opening.

[summerdude]

"Wait. Fencing is—" Don't say foreplay, don't say foreplay. "—flirting????" Magnus demands, but he's not so distracted that he forgets to block, which he does by dropping into a low-to-the-ground-crouch, bringing his shield up, so Lancelot will have to adjust; he's banking on the strength in his legs and his general sprightliness to be able to get the upper (lower?) hand.

[lanselos_du_lac]

It's effective, and if this were something more like melee training Lancelot might seek to make Magnus fall and force him to yield. Instead, he adjusts his swing and uses his momentum to turn and bring the blade in toward Magnus' side.

"Think about it," is all he says.

[summerdude]

"Think about flirting?" Magnus demands. He's not as distracted as he sounds, and he shifts, knocking Lancelot's sword aside with the flat of his blade and trying to bring his own up under Lancelot's arm. "You? Flirting? With Laerdad?" He gags theatrically, twisting his blade and surging forward. "--Oh, by the way, I told him about your secret juggling-fu. You're welcome."

[lightbearinglord]

Lan Wangji remains quiet, so as not to interrupt them, but he does think with some well-worn satisfaction of the night he met Wei Ying: the moonlight, Wei Ying's irrepressible smile, and the perfect match between their swordsmanship as they danced across the Cloud Recesses walls. He knows precisely what Lancelot means.

[lanselos_du_lac]

Lancelot's face sets in an expression that probably looks somewhat dire, but in actuality is him stifling a confused outburst at both Laerdad and juggling-fu. He forces himself to focus, narrowly dodging Magnus' blade and twisting a bit to slam his shield down into Magnus'.

[summerdude]

"Oh, nice one," says Magnus, who is finally — finally — letting himself forget that Hanguang-jun is right there and have fun. His arm is totally ringing with the force of Lancelot's shield-slam, and he tries to use that leverage to shove him back.

[lightbearinglord]

Because Lan Wangji has never fought with a shield, his interest in its use is wholly sincere. His gaze sharpens on the push and pull of their two shields -- although hopefully it is an intangible sharpening, for Magnus' benefit.

[lanselos_du_lac]

Lancelot lets himself be shoved back, shifting his weight so as to keep his footing; his hope is that this will make Magnus overbold, make him think he has an opening.

[summerdude]

Unfortunately, he's actually a good teacher, and Magnus scrambles back into a better position, circling, looking for an actual opening.

[lightbearinglord]

Fortunately, then, this little flash of clear insight from Magnus does not escape Lan Wangji, and if someone who were skilled at reading his expressions glanced his way, that person might notice his fond approval.

[lanselos_du_lac]

"Oh, very good," Lancelot says, breathless and grinning, even as he resets his stance, moving to keep facing Magnus.