InsaneJournal

Who: Tandy Bowen & Sara Lance
What: Fighting lessons
Where: Some random outside spot in a park
When: backdated to 7/24
Warnings: nah
Status: complete


Their “green space” ended up being a secluded part of Central Park next to a small pond. It wasn’t really large enough for anything more than a picnic or so, which made it just the right size for Sara and Tandy - though the teenager was slightly dubious when she saw it.

As they stepped into the area, she put her hands on her hips and gave it a once-over of her own, then turned to the blonde woman and studied her curiously.

“So - what are we starting with?”

***

It had been a long time since Sara took a teenager under her wing. She missed Sin, hoped the girl, now a young woman, was doing well despite the insanity that was Star City. There was something about Tandy that intrigued her when she’d seen her post on the network though.

“Well, let’s see what you’ve got,” she said. “Attack me.”

She stood with her feet shoulder width apart, arms hanging loose by her sides. A completely open stance that invited an attack.

***

“Attack you?” Tandy blinked in surprise at that, staring at her for a moment. “I know how to defend if someone attacks me but I haven’t really attacked anyone myself like this.” Unless you counted holding a dagger to their throat?

“I guess you could say that offense is way outside of my wheelhouse.”

***

“Okay, then show me your defensive moves,” Sara said.

She only waited a few moments before striking out at Tandy, throwing an easy punch at her stomach, not at full strength or speed, so she could judge how the girl would react. Starting with defense was fine, though Sara really wanted to make sure she had the skills to do more than just defend herself.

***

This, at least, felt a little better, and while her first instinct was to use her light daggers, Tandy instead sidestepped the punch while pushing the arm aside. She knew the basics even if she didn’t know fancy moves or anything like that, but it felt weird to not have a bladed weapon in her hand.

She was just very used to that now.

***

Sara nodded. “Not bad, but you left yourself too open. Try this instead.” She grabbed Tandy’s arm and repositioned it so she was protecting herself more when she moved. “See what I mean?”

The key to a good defense was being prepared for anything and not leaving yourself at risk for a further attack.

***

Tandy kept her eyes on Sara’s hands as she repositioned her arms, and she nodded at the move. “Got it,” she replied, stepping back to try it once without the attack, then looked back up to Sara.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Tandy said. This was actually pretty cool.

***

At least she was a willing student and seemed to be a quick learner.

Sara repeated her attack, watching Tandy perform the move the way she’d described and grinned. “Good job. Blocking is important. Turn around, let’s try something from behind.”

That was usually a little more difficult for folks to guard against since you had to rely on your other senses instead of sight.

***

Tandy took a deep breath, then nodded and turned her back as she waited for the grab. She was confident that she could handle most things, and this was actually going pretty well.

Forty five minutes later, she was flat on her back on the grass - sweaty, dirty, and catching her breath. Swiping the back of her arm across her face, she pushed herself back up. “Since this is the first time...can I just call uncle now and we pick this up again next time?” Tandy asked with a slight laugh.

***

This was actually Sara taking it easy on her. She figured she probably shouldn’t say that though, chuckling as she held out her hand to help Tandy up.

“Yeah, we can call it a day now,” she said. “You’re a quick learner. Next time, we’ll focus on more offensive moves. Bring the blades you like so we can practice with them.” It would probably be safer to use rubber practice knives, but Sara preferred to use the real thing since the weight and balance were different.

***

Tandy would have appreciated not being told that, had she been aware, and as such the teenager slipped her hand into Sara’s and got to her feet.

“Thanks,” she said as she brushed herself off, but winced as she hit a bruise. Honestly, they weren’t any worse than bruises or other injuries she’d gotten from ballet, but they still smarted just a bit.

“Um...right. About those - it’s kind of hard to explain. I can show you, but you can’t tell anyone, okay?” Tandy looked at the older woman seriously, inwardly wondering if she could actually trust her with something like this.

***

Sara’s eyes widened a bit, wondering if Tandy had some kind of magical blades, and nodded. “Your secret is safe with me,” she promised. If they were some kind of artifact, she hoped they weren’t cursed or anything. Too bad John wasn’t around.

There really wasn’t a way for her to prove her trustworthiness to the younger girl, so she hoped that she would be comfortable sharing.

***

Tandy studied her for a long moment, then gave a quick glance around to make sure they were alone. Once they were, she held out her hand and a dagger appeared, made of a single “blade” of pure, white light. “This is what I use. Basically just for slicing and throwing.”

***

“That’s a neat trick,” Sara said, leaning in a little closer so she could get a better look at the blades. “We can work on accuracy with throwing blades, if you want.” It wasn’t her best skill, but she wasn’t bad at it and it might come in handy. “At least you never have to worry about being caught unarmed.”

***

“That would be cool,” Tandy said as she gave the woman a smile. Lifting the dagger, she threw it towards a nearby tree; it sliced into the bark, then disappeared a moment later. “I was in a situation several months ago where I had a lot of time on my hands, so I practiced with them. There wasn’t very much else to do.”

The not being caught unarmed was definitely good in her opinion, and she looked back at Sara. “That’s probably the best part.”

***

There was a reason that the League trained their members to be a weapon. Sara decided not to share the origin of her training with Tandy just yet thought so she didn’t scare the girl away. “It certainly comes in handy,” she said. “Especially if you can make sure they can’t be used against you.” That was always a danger with a weapon.

“Do you have a job or school or anything?” she asked. “I’m working evenings at the club, so we can do a couple of days a week of training.”

***

“Nope. Well, ballet classes eventually, I guess, but I’m free pretty much anytime right now, so we can do this whenever works for you,” the teen replied with a smile as they started to walk back the way they had come.

She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked down at herself, just now realizing how dirty she was. “I’m going to grab a shower as soon as I get back to the apartments. I’ll see you later though, okay?” Tandy looked back over at Sara, then gave a small wave before she started to head off back to the villa.