The Making of a True Reconciliator III (Eitan)

[Tobias]

68th, Ash 121

Tobias had recovered after that foot injury, although he had chosen to indulge himself in some alone time at the Gentleman's Club. He had been in the changing rooms getting changed into his gymnastic gear, placing his attire in the locker he had in front of him and turning the key. Afterwards, he began setting up the mats for his work out. The other men in the room appeared to be focusing on keeping fit and toned as they appeared to be eased. However, there was a look of envy on Tobias' face. Whilst he maintained a good figure, he was a ectomorph, someone who couldn't build muscle as quickly as someone with a decent body type could.

He had to accept it. However, there were strengths in his body too; most on which he played on. His body appeared to be suitable for swiftness, dexterity, grace and fine motor skills. He demonstrated this as his body needed to warm up before engaging with any exercises. He moved his leg straight up, holding it in the air as he elegantly held it up in motion, as if he was doing the splits. The joints needed to be ready as he began to do some stretches to ease him into the practice of today's session. Gymnastics. Tobias had the nimble approach for it, but he wanted to exercise his skills. He needed to learn to use those nimble reflexes in a variety of situations.

However, it appeared to be the first step. Learning to handspring. However, before he could do that he must continue warming up his muscles before engaging in any physical activity; he couldn't afford being injured. There was no choice for him but to continue with dignity and resilience. He couldn't afford to fail his father, especially since he was now behind bars.

[Eitan Angevin]

Normally, Eitan came to the club with Stefan or Brenner. Today, it had been more convenient than going to the barracks to exercise and so he had come alone. When he was alone, sometimes he worked out even harder. Brenner wasn't bulky, but he put on muscle faster than Eitan did. For Stefan, exercise seemed to be his way to release all the stresses of his job and the responsibilities of his family. Being married seemed to help with the latter, but the man was still more muscular than Eitan would ever likely be. The secret half-elf worked hard to optimize his physique, however. If he was lighter than he could wish, at least that was less stress upon the engines of the Noble Gambit.

He had run, swum, and lifted heavy things. He wasn't exhausted yet, but he was perspiring when he came upon his apprentice showing off his flexibility. Eitan paused to admire it. There were different sorts of fitness, and Zaichaer would need all of them to defeat Kalzasi and the witches and all. Tobias was clearly no expert, but he seemed to be pushing himself to be better, and Eitan could respect that.

If it had been Brenner, he would have cracked a joke, tried to distract him, but he hadn't developed that level of camaraderie with Tobias yet. Brenner and he liked to push each other, honing each other. Tobias would have to learn to work through distractions as well, but Eitan didn't want to swoop in and ruin his little victories. There would need to be countless little victories before they could have their greater ones, and he wanted to build up the man's confidence, as well. He wanted him confident in his abilities, not cocky.

Once Tobias had come to a point where he was paying more attention to the people around him and noticed Eitan, the man greeted him.

"Hullo, Tobias. Glad to see you keeping in shape. You're going to have to show me how you do that. Looks simple enough, but not sure I have the balance for it even if I can run across the deck of an airship in a storm." He smirked, but it was self-deprecating more than anything. He was confident of his abilities, but cognizant of his weaknesses. Perhaps Tobias could help him become better as well.

[Tobias]

The concentration on Tobias' muscles prepared to be imminent from the full upright splits. He showed poise and elegance within his stature as he adjusts his body from one angle to another. The grace of a swan appeared to be aligned within Tobias as he did the same splits with the other leg, closing his eyes in deep relaxation as he stretched to his limits, performing a cobra stance.

He can feel the warmness of his joints unravel themselves from any tension that was felt. As he was about to do one more stretch, he heard a voice come at him as he appeared to continue "Hey, Eitan... Didn't expect to see you here, although it's always a perfect time" He shuffled into a handstand as he kept his balance. He appeared to be wobbling at first until he shuffled his hand and aligned his bodies' center of gravity so that he'd be more balanced. The flexibility of his body had given him the power to move his foot to the floor as his toe touches it, before he pushes upwards, using the momentum to lift him forward as he stands upright. He stumbled slightly with the sudden landing as he took a deep breath, counting on the mistake that he made.

Footwork.

It was something that always occurred to be a problem, especially when it came to fighting. The ability to even detect the slightest uneven step, fall or even trip. It has had a detrimental effect on his combat. He suddenly turned his attention to Eitan as he finished as he looked him up and down "Don't jinx it, one day you might fall off the airship in the storm; that would be most unfortunate..." He said raising an eyebrow as he squinted slightly, watching him carefully "Theres only one way to find out if you have the knack for it. Although first we must warm up." He clapped his hands in a commanding fashion "Come on, show me how far you can move your leg up" He asked as he sat on the bench and with ease he moved his leg upwards in perfect alignment with his shoulder. His foot up in the air, like a ballerina.

"Well, go on then, your turn. Show me what you got, you're the one who said he can balance through a wild storm on an airship. Live up to the reputation! Come on!" He said; his voice started to get excitable, perhaps a little too much; although it was motivational.

[Eitan Angevin]

"Looks as though your ankle turned out all right," he noted, eyes intense upon his mentee. Eitan wanted to do right by the Aspirants under his guidance, both because it would prove his value in the Order and because it would make them better servants of the High City. But now Tobias had an idea that along with leadership and discipline, he would get care and support as well. That seemed important to Eitan, whose own mentor was neither kind nor helpful.

"Don't worry. I don't get too close to the taffrail during inclement weather if I can help it." With a tight smile, he removed his shoes and stepped out into Tobias' space, though he left room in case one or the other toppled.

Those watchful eyes paid keen attention to how Tobias got into his position and if he lacked the grace of practice, once he managed to follow the basic movement, his flexibility proved decent enough. He wobbled, though, clearly fighting to maintain his balance in this unusual position, but there was a determination in his eyes as well as a watchfulness. They cut away from Tobias toward the wall, finding something to spot, and his wobbles decreased somewhat.

"I definitely don't do this on the deck of an airship," he said with a chuckle. It didn't bother him that Tobias was better than him; it seemed inappropriate to be competitive with a subordinate, though, and so he would only compete with himself in this. But if it was a thing that they continued to practice, he would work hard to master it. That was just his way. "But perhaps if you are a good enough teacher, one day I will be able to do this on the deck of an airship."

[Tobias]

"Yeah, I'm managing fine" He smirked as he tilted his head with his leg held up high. He watched the other man wobble slightly as he tilts his head, noticing he had some amount of flexibility; he proceeded to do the splits, showing off as he arched his back with such grace and poise, afterwards he proceeded to watch Eitan as he took a moment to watch him wobble slightly; he chuckled at the way he was determined to learn as he tilted his head in thought "Maybe, try aligning your body more with the center of gravity; where do you feel the force wobbling you? Left or right?" He asked as he tilts his head curiously "Y'know how gravity works right? I'm assuming you do if your a airship pilot." He said with a chuckle, wondering how helpful his advice was. He didn't wanna sound to patronising for the fear he might be called out for insubordination "It's why airships need two wings correct? What you need to do is distribute your weight evenly; that way you wont wobble as much." He said with a smile.

The coaching that he had given Eitan wasn't something he had expected; perhaps the student was as good as the teacher after all in this case. From someone who was learning acrobatics, already trained on his flexibility at a very young age. Now it was time to put it into practice "I don't think you should try it on the airship Eitan, that is what I call, cocky, dangerous, stupid and somewhat imbecilic" He said bluntly; he didn't want to burst Eitan's bubble but he felt it was necessary. He may be his mentor, but he was also his responsibility in a way; he didn't want him making rash or stupid decisions that'll affect his future. Tobias needed stability, it appeared he had already found it through Eitan. He never felt that kind of respect before from anyone, yet he realised what he said "Sorry, that sounded rather blunt, mean and slightly discouraging, forgive me. I'm just looking out for safety that's all." He said, making brief eye contact with Eitan as he listened to him further.

"Yeah, I think the answer is none of this acrobatics tricks on the airship; if I find out such things are being performed; I may have to..." He paused for a moment as he tried to think of a punishment for such endeavours "I will... Oh forget it, you're probably gonna do it anyway; lets resume and get that crazy mind of yours going." He sighed and rolled his eyes.

Tobias goes to get a gym matt for Eitan as he places it next to his before looking back at him "Eitan, the man I met who had a death wish" He teased "Only, I'm not a death wish genie; I'll tell you that won't be on those three wishes I grant" He laughed as he made the joke.

Tobias was already warmed up, but he wanted to make sure Eitan wouldn't suffer any injuries before he warmed up "Ok so, where gonna stretch our backs into a cobra shape, like so, before..." He stopped for a moment as he entered in a cobra-like stance, before moving his legs in a contortionist fashion; as if he was head over heels "Ok, you probably won't be able to go that far yet, but... Try and remain in the cobra and then swap to some more leg stretches, make sure you get your leg nice and high." He smiled as he was preparing other lessons, some that he also needed to teach himself.

[Eitan Angevin]

Eitan didn't know if it was just Tobias' humor or he took him seriously about doing acrobatics on the deck of a moving airship. This wasn't even acrobatics as far as he was concerned, but stretching and balancing that might lead to acrobatics. It didn't seem like Tobias was an expert, but Eitan would learn what he could and perhaps seek the training of an expert if it seemed like he had any talent for it. A useful skill was a useful skill, but he had limited time and so he tried to train himself in those skills that would prove most useful.

Most of Tobias' questions seemed rhetorical, so rather than answering them, he just tried to glean what instructive tips he could from what the man said. Remembering his training with a blade, and even with a firearm, he tried to parlay that into useful visualizations to help him here. He began to imagine he was on the deck of the ship when it was rolling due to heavy winds, and that helped. Rather than trying to keep from wobbling one way or another, he tried to focus his energy up. His spine elongated and he felt a little more stable, as if there were a rope running from the ground through his spine and up into the sky. It pulled him in either direction rather than to any particular side.

A little more stable, he managed a smile, though he ignored Tobias' taunting until he could put his leg down. After doing the other side, it seemed as though the younger man had more plans.

He dutifully got down on the mat to stretch his back per the Aspirant's instructions. It felt good, even if he didn't seek to bend himself into a circle. He looked up toward the ceiling so his neck and head were also part of the stretch. These sorts of things seemed to rely on the entire body even when they were focusing on one thing. There was some sort of wisdom in that, he was sure.

[Tobias]

Tobias eventually moved into a more comfortable position on the floor as he stretched to the side, warming up the muscles in the body before standing up "Right, I think that's us warmed up" He nodded as he set up the apparatuses for pole swinging, balancing and other gymnastic activities. He looked over at Eitan as he crossed his arms, before mounting on top of the vaulting horse as he looked nervously for a moment "Actually, lets try." He said as he moved to try and have a test of his upper body strength; however it was weaker than usual. He couldn't move his body upwards into a handstand, like before amongst the bars. Probably because of the center of gravity not keeping him balanced.

He eventually stopped for a moment as he felt heavily discouraged "In fact, lets not do this... I don't have quite the strength for it yet." He said as he looked at the bars that were set up and gulped. he knew he was definitely not ready for that yet; thus he was around so many other people it would be an absolute embarrassment if he made a simple mistake right now "Err, perhaps theres something else we could try, y'know something that'll boost our strength, whilst it doesnt help being all scrawny and err... What's the word" He paused for a moment as he "Weak, that's the one." He said with a sigh. Tobias had begun to grow back into normality since the incident he had came out of a few weeks ago.

It was not clear that there was still a remnant of trauma inheritant in the man, but he was still building up back into what would be a state of equilibrium. He smiled at Eitan for a moment as he looked for a moment "Perhaps, theres something you can teach me hmm?" At that moment he used the strength he had to pull himself over the vaulting horse to assess his strength. Whilst he was flexible, he couldnt lift properly "Ahh, fuck... I guess it was worth the try."

[Eitan Angevin]

Eitan managed a few quick stretches of his own before getting up and following Tobias to the equipment. He was vaguely aware of how it all worked, though he didn't know how to properly use things. As such, he watched carefully as Tobias dithered as to whether he ought to go through with it. They had trained enough together now that he had a fair idea of Tobias' strengths and weaknesses, at least physically speaking. His frustration was obvious when he couldn't immediately do the thing he envisioned, with which Eitan could commiserate, but he seemed to be taking it harder than necessary.

"Weak can be rectified," he offered. He wasn't sure what he could teach Tobias about this, but he knew a bit about strength training. He would never be as big as Stefan, but his physique was carefully crafted with all manner of physical exertions made regularly. He worked hard for what he had.

Carefully planting his palms upon the vaulting horse, he hoisted himself up so that his weight was supported by straight arms, though he didn't lock his elbows. It required more strength, but was less dangerous. He bent his arms to ninety degrees and then straightened them again, repeating it several times. It was a bit awkward, the horse not perfectly suited for bar dips, but it definitely engaged the appropriate muscles.

"Small steps, repetition," he offered, "that's how you build up your strength." Then, at full extension, he caught his foot atop the horse and rose to stand on it, looking around from his higher vantage point. Then he attempted the balancing extension of his leg that Tobias had taught him, smiling at the risk he was taking. A fall from this high was more likely to cause an injury so the stakes were higher. High stakes helped him focus and push himself farther, though.

He just tried not to let that become foolishness.

[Tobias]

Tobias watched him as he appeared to pick up his own body weight with ease, the way he stood up on the vaulting horse made Tobias panic for a moment "Whoa, that is pretty risky." He said as he nervously gulped. He watched him for a moment as he stood there in perfect position for the balancing extension to work as he hopped onto another vaulting horse next to him. He tried to imitate the same trick as he cocked his leg in full extension. However, he was not yet strong like Eitan. The balance caused him to wobble slightly as he stopped for a moment and regained his balance. He sighed with relief as he stepped down from the horse. He smiled as he looked over at Eitan "That's perfect, but don't slip... I'm not medically trained, the last thing I need is someone with a broken back in hospital." He teased as he took a moment to stop exercising and thought.

Tobias reminisced on what they were talking about earlier "I guess you're right; weak can be rectified. We remake ourselves on our terms... I remember when Stefan took me here for some training, y'know. I sometimes sound like a spoilt brat, but I don't mean it. I guess I'm just defensive to meeting new people, although he did tell me one thing, I might never be big but I can still be a boxer; I say that gives me some encouragement, although I think I may have messed things up already." He sighed as he took a moment to think about the upsetting nature of what had transpired, from making his father fall from grace to suddenly being the one responsible for making him fail. It was the reason Tobias had an essence of self loathing within him "I bet he hates me after what transpired at my house with him" He frowned for a moment as he remained in thought "My father asks for something simple and yet I simply blow it because I'm too emotional, stupid and wreckless" He gulped as he seemed be worked up about the whole situation.

"Eitan. Theres also..." He stopped and paused as he thought of something, he needed to tell him something, but it wasn't concrete in his mind "On second thought, nevermind; I'll tell you later" He said. It was obviously something private that Tobias wouldnt delve into much of the information. There was a deep discomfort on his face though, as if something had not been quite right "I think, some strength training little at a time might help, maybe I can pick this up again another time" He said with a smile as he looked over at him with a sigh "Perhaps, I'm a little too ambitious" He added as he side eyed Eitan once again.

[Eitan Angevin]

Eitan had worked out previous to meeting up with Tobias for this cross-training, so after trying the other leg briefly, he carefully dismounted from the vaulting horse before he was tempted to overdo it and injure himself. It would be a bad look, and he had been trying to ingrain in Tobias the need to take care of oneself. If they were tools of the state, they had to be kept in good working condition or they would be useless tools.

"I've no desire for a broken back," he assured him.

"You're what—cruiserweight?" He eyed Tobias' physique. He was short and slim, but he didn't look starved. "Hm, I wasn't there, but I wouldn't worry. Stefan Dornkirk is a good man, but he has a rational man's caution when it comes to magic and, like it or not, we are both marked with its corruption. If you were being emotional, stupid, and reckless and he thought you couldn't control your magic in that state, he had every right to be cautious. You just have to prove that you are in consistent control. We will practice that control with magic as much as with our bodies." He clapped Tobias on the shoulder.

His eyebrow rose at the abortive announcement, but he didn't press. Tobias would tell him things when he was ready, and if it turned out to be a thing that was mission-critical, well, that would have to go both ways. Tobias wanted Eitan to be up front and Eitan would require the same from him.

"A little at a time, yes. All right, enough for one day. Let's hit the showers and then get something to eat."

fin.