Participants:
| Scene Title | Shades of Gray |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Adam offers long term employment and fencing lessons. |
| Date | August 17, 2009 |
A private fencing club, rented for the occasion. A single strip to fence on, and a weapon rack with practice weapons are the room's only decorations.
Alia has shown up at the purposed time and spot, a private fencing club. Not somewhere she could afford membership, but she was buzzed in anyway, as if expected. No, she was expected, and somehow, that unnerved her. She sighed as she stepped out onto the strip, fencing helmet under one arm, her practice blade under the other.
Adam is already in a practice room, it's completely empty, apparently reserved only for this little sparring match. Adam is already decked out in his white practice suit and appears to be practicing with his saber. From what you can see of his form, it's almost…perfect. It's as if he's able to make the saber an extension of himself. This man might just be a ringer.
Alia idly notes the fact that the blades are mismatched but makes no comment. She isn't sparing the time to think of proper words, so she just clears her throat as she approaches.
Adam pauses and stops in mid swing. He turns as Alia makes her presence known and smiles, "Ah, hello. Glad you could join me." he glances towards her sword, "A foil? Alright." he makes his way over towards a weapon stand and begins to select a sword, "I hope you don't mind if we also talk business. That is the primary reason I wanted you to come."
Alia shakes her head as she has a rapier, but walks to the rack to take the matching weapon to whichever one he picks up. She has no problems with any of the three fencing weapons, even if that practice session she saw was very skillful. "Talk away, though I might say little until we are done"
Adam nods a bit, when she appears to be looking for a weapon he mms, "How do you feel about sabers? They're personally my favorites." he comments. He swings the one he had originally, "Alia. I'd like to discuss two things, one is a job I'd like you to complete. The second, is a consideration of a…longer relationships."
Alia idly picks up the saber and gives it a pair of practice swings to test the balance. "Sabers it is." She nods to show she is listening.
Adam nods and steps towards the mat. He says, "Alia, you might recognize that my name has entered into certain law enforcement data bases." he pauses as he swings his saber a bit. "I would like you to remove it." he pulls down his helmet and adds, "I can pay you quite a bit of money. And if you're successful, I think I would like to retain your services."
Alia pulls her helmet on, stretching a little, then she takes an en garde position on the mat. She is still listening, though as she said, she's not likely to reply much while she's focusing on bladework. It's just not two things her mind ever has combined together terribly well. No witty one liners from her apparently.
Adam nods slightly and says, "Alright. We'll wait." he pauses and gets in the en garde position. After a moment he leaps forward with an aggressive attack, but it's weak, either lazy or probing.
Alia grins behind her mask, more than gladly giving the probing attack a matchingly weak (lazy? probing? just plain screwing with your head? You be the judge) glide parry, sliding it down and away from herself.
Adam does this a few more light taps, perhaps gauging your strength, perhaps gauging your guard, not working very hard to get through. After a few of these, he suddenly swings his sword in a sharp attack, pressing his attack forward. This can be said for Adam, he is quick, percise and efficient, it's like he was born with a sword in his hand.
Alia on the other hand, has done nothing more than match strength for strength right now, her mind moving to analyze the attacks, the style the stance… she hasn't found an opening yet, but she's already generating ideas on how to do so as she parries… then attempts a weak, testing riposte.
Adam continues his attack. The openings come few and far between, certainly this man is quite practiced at sword play. But something odd happens, after a swing he leaves his upper body wide open, as if inviting a stab.
Alia sees the opening… and knows after all this that it's likely a trap. She feints an attack at the 'opening', but changes the swing with a flick of her wrist near the end to drop the blade low herself, wondering after having comitted herself to the path if it wasn't a trap within a trap to leave her open by having her attack low.
Adam suddenly takes a step back, as Alia goes low, Adam's saber drops and parries before quickly thrusting in for a point to the chest. It appears it was a trap in a trap in a trap. But after several moments of the thrusts and parries, Adam takes a step back and lifts his helmet and says, "You're very good. Have you ever considered the olympics?"
Alia shakes her head as she lowers her saber and takes off her own helmet. She finally comments on the job subject of earlier. "No payment until success. If I can succeed." She doesn't admit that she's not certain she can pull off what he's asking at her current skill level. Not without getting very very close to some very protected systems. Then she grins. "Never considered Olympics." She sets the saber back in it's rack carefully. "Too many jokes about 'special'"
Adam considers, "That seems fair. Usually people want their payment in advance." he says. He pauses, "Alia, I think you're aware my moral grey area is very large. I don't know how you feel about that, but if you're willing to put aside your ethics for me, I can take care of you. I can pay you quite a bit." he nods towards the door, "You want a membership here, it's yours. I can even give you a few pointers." he swipes the saber a bit pointedly.
Alia frowns a bit. "Many shades of gray are we. But what two shades agree?" She shakes her head. "Time will tell. Not us. Certainly not yet." The words, from the look on her face, took her more work then the bladework did. Then again, if Adam did the homework he seemingly had done, he'd likely know at least of her 'disability' or 'learning difference', depending on what book of classifications you decide to look at.
Adam tilts his head a moment, "That was very nice." he says, "You said that quite nicely." adding a compliment to the delivery of the words. He takes off the helmet, "I'll take that as a maybe to the long term employment, but that you'll do your best." he smiles loosely, "I hope to see your results. You could be in for quite the rewards."
Alia smiles, then politely curtseys to her former-opponent, and possibly future-boss… though that's going to depend a lot on two key things: Her accessing places she likely shouldn't go, and what she finds when she does so.