“These are a few ways you can upset the balance of your opponent to get them into disadvantageous positions.” The smug look he gave me stirred up a primal impulse to injure him. To bite. Instead, I gave him a withering look.
I was in more than one disadvantageous position.
Pushing myself back to my feet, I stepped back into the crowd and did my best to melt into the ground.
“Go ahead and organize yourselves roughly by height and weight, and I’ll start pairing you all.” I hated that his voice brushed against me with the softness of a flower's petal, despite his rugged handling of me a minute ago. I hated that I was still panting, and that I could still feel the press of him against my backside even though we were no longer touching.
And I really hated that I wanted to feel it again.
Sarina shifted from foot to foot, and I sympathized with some of her nervousness. While she was easily the tiniest person here, and therefore the most likely to struggle with today's exercise, she had shown tremendous progress over the last few weeks thanks to some additional training we had been doing in the Fitness center. I wasn't where I needed to be for the physical requirements we had to meet, either.
I'd already swallowed my share of humble pie for the day, but that didn't mean anyone else should have to suffer too.
I gave her a consolatory clap on the shoulder, “You've got this.”
She gave me a flat look, “Don't hold your breath.”
“Sarina.” I would recognize Zevrial’s smooth timbre anywhere. “You'll be doing the training with me today. We have an uneven number of people here, after all.”
She turned wide eyes to me, but I shrugged. “Better you than me.”
“Deserter,” she pouted.
“Just returning the favor.”
She hesitated, slowly making her way toward Zevrial.
I ended up paired with Rosa, who was nearly the same height as me. We both grabbed a heavy sack out of the wheelbarrow.
Putting it on felt like sinking ten inches into the ground. Moving was inhibited with the same sinking resistance I'd felt from trying to walk underwater in Lake Mirae.
“Do me a favor,” I requested as we moved to an unoccupied area. “If you try that crazy tackle move, make sure I don't crack my head open.”
Rosa laughed, a bright happy sound that reminded me of the first blossoms in spring.
We circled one another, looking for openings in the other's defenses.
Rosa thought she saw her chance and lunged, but I dodged. She stumbled, still in range for me though, so I made a grab for her neck. She slipped under me, rushing back a few feet.
It went on like this for us for at least an hour before Rosa managed to drag me into the arm grab maneuver.
Behind us, wrestling partners rested as people wandered back from being called away to their individual lessons.
Before I could manage to get Rosa into a choke hold, it was my turn to switch out. It was a nice respite after sweat-slicked grappling for the last ten years of my life.
Ambling down the path back toward where Instructor Garcien was, my curiosity piqued.
“Ah, Lisia,” she greeted as I arrived. Frowned, she looked me over. “Are you getting enough rest?”
I rubbed at my eyes, well aware of the dark circles under them from many late nights of additional training with Sarina. “Yeah, thanks.”
Her lips pursed, and she held out a strip of fabric, “Please wrap this around your eyes.”
I blinked at her for several seconds, caught off guard. “Um, alright.” I took the cloth and blindfolded myself.
“Wonderful. Now I'm going to be moving you around a bit, tell me if you get too dizzy.” Her weathered hands pressed into my shoulders, walking me for a short distance and then turning me in several circles.
“Remove the blindfold please.”
