Solo The Candle Burns Low

[Cynnya]

1st Day of Winter, 513 AV "The most important thing is to find your center of gravity. Once you do, very little can knock you off your feet and leave you defenseless." Cynnya understood the concept. It made sense that if you were centered, an attacker would find it hard to push you over and take advantage of you on the ground. However, she just could not find her 'center of gravity'. She shifted her feet one more time, heaving an exasperated sigh as she moved into the fighting stance her instructor had taught her, facing her imaginary enemy that was a stubby candle in the center of the courtyard. The flame flickered and bent as a breeze moved through but stayed lit. Cynnya kept her arms close to her sides, bent at the elbow with her wrapped hands balled into fists raised to her chest and her balance on the balls of her feet. Her knees were bent just slightly and her feet were shoulder-width apart with her right foot forward and her left foot shifted behind. She tried shifting her balance to the left, then the right, attempting to feel whether either made a difference to how grounded she felt. Neither changed how planted her feet were on the ground and she only felt more ridiculous than ever. She was just glad that the last student had left the darkened courtyard minutes earlier, leaving her on her own for the night. She tired of the whispers and snickers that followed her daily, but at least the other students required sleep when it grew dark and she was able to have the University mostly to herself. There were a few night owls around who were either overly ambitious or catching up in their studies, but for the most part the nocturnal Kelvic could study in peace and quiet. Tonight, however, she was not simply studying books or notes, she was attempting to practice her unarmed combat skills whilst most of the University slumbered. Classes hadn't quite begun yet for the Winter and she had no assignments due, so she was using the time to review what her combat instructor had taught her. Unfortunately, it was hard to practice on her own with only imagined attackers confronting her and no one there to correct her when she made errors. "Keep your movements fluid yet unpredictable, use your size to your advantage and keep yourself a small target. Never stop moving and try not to give away where your next attack with come from." Her instructors words rang in her ears as she began to move quickly from side to side, pivoting around her invisible foe. "And remember to breathe." That part she could do no problem, it was much more concrete than 'finding your center'. Cynnya drew her breath from her diaphragm slowly and let it out just as slow, keeping herself small and her fists close to her face. Her fists darted out quickly as she ducked, dodged and weaved in a circle, imagining blows connecting with flesh and aiming for, well, the air. For a few minutes she continued in this fashion, blocking and retaliating against her imagined fighting partner. Suddenly, she stopped and threw her hands up in the air in futility, a scowl crossing her features. "This is stupid," she muttered to herself, reaching her right arm across her chest and pulling on it with her left arm, stretching the muscles in her shoulder. "How am I supposed to improve when I don't have a sparring partner?" She kept her voice low as she talked to herself, not wanting to wake anyone in the nearby dorms. Cynnya switched arms, scowling at the ground. No one wanted to spar at night when she was most active and she didn't have enough money for another practice session with her instructor. She probably would have to get a job in order to pay for another one, but until then she had no way of improving. And just how was she supposed to find her center of gravity? { made by ally of thesintax and rpgd, please leave this credit intact }