voicemail

[memlost]

[An upbeat male voice comes on:]

Hey, it's Morgan! If you were expecting a girl, you picked the wrong picture. If not, then congratulations! But sorry too, because this means I've missed you. Leave a message!

[Beep.]

(( ooc: feel free to use this for face-to-face interactions as well! just leave a date and voice/action/etc. in the header. ))

Comments

[monarchical]

[ ...UNSURE IF TOUCHED OR NOT, but she's...she's going to settle on "touched and vaguely unsettled", here. And really, with her tastes, Sonia might even start to think it's kind of cute in an unsettling way...

She can at least work up a genuine smile for Morgan taking this so seriously and thinking to bring it. ]

Oh! In that case, hello to training dummy-san! I certainly wouldn't want to harm anyone real for this...Ah, should we set it up out back or indoors?

[memlost]

Outdoors is probably better. It's a bit chilly, but I think the fresh air will be worth it. Though I am tickled by the thought of your housemates walking in on you getting a good stab in, heh.

[monarchical]

Hopefully not into the stab, of course!

[ ..........These jokes are terrible but yes grabbing her coat to go outside, now. ]

[memlost]

Ha ha! Yeah, that would be kind of unfortunate. Maybe even Super High School Level Unfortunate...

[ OUTDOORS IS INDEED BEST. Anyway he glances around for a good place to set up and decides on a short wall of ruins out back, trotting over to impale the dummy on a mean hook of metal jutting out. ]

[monarchical]

[ There's a laugh from Sonia. YOU MADE A SHSL JOKE, MORGAN...her language ]

I should like to think I am not so unfortunate as that...but one of my housemates might be.

[ Sonia will trail along and watch the dummy get, uh, impaled. Poor thing. ]

[memlost]

Oh yeah? Tell me about him.

[ Stories of hilarity, stories of woe, he'll take 'em all. He arranges the dummy neatly and tugs its hood into proper order before standing beside it and turning to face Sonia. ]

[monarchical]

Oh, I had no one in mind...I just meant that even if I am not so unfortunate as to stab someone, someone in the block may be so unfortunate as to be stabbed. Though one of my classmates actually is in my block now. He's the Animal Breeder, though, not "Unlucky".

[ She is perfectly happy to talk about Tanaka whenever though, YOU ONLY NEED ASK. ]

[memlost]

[ WILL DO. ]

Oh! Then you can tell me about him instead! Animal breeding sounds like a pretty unique gig. ... And not to go off topic, but is it all right if I see your dagger?

[ Gotta measure up what they're working with... ]

[monarchical]

He is the most amazing animal breeder I have ever known! ...Not that I have known many, but Tanaka-san commands his hamsters with grace and poise...

[ yes hamsters

Oh, but she will hand him the dagger without trouble. ]

There is usually a vial of poison within as well, but I took it out.

[ ...LEST THEY HAVE ANY STUPID TRAINING ACCIDENTS. ]

[memlost]

Oh man... hamsters?! I've never seen one in person before...

[ Dammit he wants to see SHSL hamster-handling. But he will just have to settle with this lamey lame weapon. ]

Good call. Let's see... this dagger's got a pretty unique shape. You'll have to be a bit more considerate about how you use it since the tips's angled and the grip has all of these points on it, but at least you'll look fearsome doing it!

[monarchical]

Perhaps you can be introduced sometime, then! Or if you see him before I can, you can let him know that you are one of my friends. That may help.

[ PERHAPS...And also, she is not listening intently. ]

Mm, I think it seems to be an assassin's weapon.

[memlost]

Hmm... I see! It all makes sense now...

[ Excessive pointiness is totally an assassin thing. ]

Anyway, it looks like you're packing some serious dagger power. And a weapon-wielder has to be just as serious as the weapon she's wielding! If you're gonna put yourself in charge of this thing, you'll have to commit to lots of practice and discipline just to keep from stabbing yourself by accident. Are you ready?!

[monarchical]

Yes! You can count on me to be as serious as this blade is sharp!

[ SHE WILL GIVE THIS 130% PERCENT. ]

[memlost]

All right! Then let's have it, Sonia Nevermind! Your best shot! Stab him good!

[ He flips the dagger around and holds it out to her hilt-first. Best find out what what they're working with... ]

[monarchical]

[ She takes it carefully, because HAHA HILT SPIKES and readies herself. Her stance is...well, okay, it's the stance of a girl who has had fencing lessons, but these fencing lessons were the fancy sort of thing where one never actually needed to worry about, you know, actual combat of the Haven variety because she was a Princess and she was going to be the one commanding her army at home if anything, not an actual member of it.

Still, that is better than the stance of someone with no training at all. It just isn't exactly what you would use for a dagger. Her blow, too, is not overly strong - Sonia has never done upper-arm exercises or anything. But she does seem to have good aim... ]

Right!

[memlost]

[ Her en garde is very fancy indeed, and reminds him of his father and sister's styles next to the rest of the Shepherds'. Sonia isn't quite up to that level, of course, and her stance isn't the most practical, but it's something. And it's fun to see the ever-cheerful Sonia stabbing anything, to be honest...! ]

Nice shot! Your point control is... well, pretty on point! Extra important if you ever want to pierce something instead of getting your blade jammed somewhere awkward...

[ The rest of his work is cut out for him, though. Hmm... ]

Have you ever really tried to stab someone, Sonia?

[monarchical]

[ WELL LET'S THINK ABOUT THIS...No, she just laughs immediately, sounding embarrassed. ]

Um, well...no, as a matter of fact. I have more often tried to avoid such a thing ever becoming necessary. If you ever need to stab someone at home, it generally means diplomacy has failed, and that would be the worst form for a princess!

[memlost]

Sounds reasonable to me! Well, you should know that if you're ever in a life-or-death situation and want to do anything more than look threatening, you'll have to ditch the fencer's stance. The advantage of the dagger is that you can get up close and personal with it and stab away! Toss propriety out the window and invade some personal space.

[ He pats the hilt of his sword. ]

Especially if your opponent's got a longer weapon. A sword's not much use if you have no room to use it.

[monarchical]

A-ah...right! I will try to train myself out of that stance, then!

[ Of course um this will not help her when she gets knocked the hell out in the future, but in her defense she didn't even realize the person was going to attack her before it had happened.

...It's not much of a defense. ]

[memlost]

[ SONIA. DAMMIT. ]

Good! And I'm not joking about the stabbing away part. You've got to stab like your life depends on it. Which it will. Here, I'll show you some good places to go at!

[ He probably looks too happy about it as he looks to borrow her dagger again. But this is good information, and teaching it makes him feel so useful...!! ]

[monarchical]

[ LIKE YOU DO ANY BETTER, MORGAN. Yes please do teach her how to stab people so she can never use it on you ever. Let's do that. ]

Ah, yes, please do show me!

[ She hands over the dagger without question or complaint. ]

[memlost]

[ Yes good because he doesn't plan on getting stabbed ever. NOW THEN. He takes the dagger carefully because seriously what the hell is up with this hilt and approaches the dummy. ]

What's important is that you avoid hitting any bones or other tricky things you might get stuck on. In and out, fast!

First, right by the neck. [ He uses a hand to indicate the spot on himself, just behind the collarbone. Then he drives the dagger into the same spot on the dummy, blade angled slightly toward the center of its body. ]

Next, under the armpit. [ Again, he indicates the spot on himself and demonstrates on the dummy. ]

Both of these will poke straight through to the lungs and kill someone in a breeze! Do it right and you won't meet any resistance at all.