8099/A Little Bit of Fencing

A Little Bit of Fencing
Date of Scene:	03 October 2021
Location:	Danger Room
Synopsis:	Alison catches the tail end of Kurt practicing some fencing, along with him wrapping up his session, then they chat about how they came to be at Xavier's.
Cast of Characters:	Kurt Wagner, Alison Blaire

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Kurt Wagner has posed:
A section of the Danger Room is in use, but not the entire place. It's set up like a fencing strip, the /piste/, and there are two figures lined up on it, both in fencing attire. One is a generally indistinct humanoid shape. The other has a blue tail with a spaded tip. One guess which one is Kurt Wagner.

The two have their face guards and connections to the electronic scoring system, and the epee is being used this time around. As a round begins, both Kurt and his programmed opponent feel each other out, and Kurt tries a feint which leads to an aggressive attack by the AI. This results in Kurt's blade flashing through the air as he cuts off strikes aimed at any and all parts of his body, the swords becoming like a blur until the aggressor misses with a lunge, which gives the elf an opening for a scoring point to the ribcage.

"Hah!" he exclaims, wagging a finger on his free hand back and forth as he moves away. "Close, but not close enough!"

Alison Blaire has posed:
Alison Blaire, known to the world as the Dazzler, wasn't a regular member of the Xavier household, on account of her professional life. Initially, she had been offered a place at the school but had declined in order to focus on her musical profession, thinking that using her growing public image as a platform from which to advocate for mutant rights would be enough...

Several events, however, saw to it that Alison eventually realized that she also needed to prepare herself for those confrontations where public repartee was completely inadequate. Thus, she constantly comes back to the school to touch base and continue her training in the exploration of her powers, and how to deal with those who would want to destroy her for them.

Presently, she is spending a month at the school during the lull before the holiday season, which will include performances and media appearances almost through the New Year. That she stayed at Xavier's was a well-kept secret that the Professor painstakingly labored to maintain, lest the grounds outside the school be overrun with paparazzi, or worse.

Entering the Danger Room, Alison doesn't need to be close enough to spot the spaded tail to know who, of all of the members of the school, would train with such a traditional program for fencing. The blonde advances, hands in her sweatshirt pockets, steadily towards the piste, a smile on her lips.

"Have I missed the part where you swing from the chandeliers, or am I just in time?" she asks with a light-hearted tone in her voice.

Kurt Wagner has posed:
"Ah, there are no chandeliers in fencing, Miss Blaire," Kurt answers, adding after a moment, "Simulation: pause." It freezes on the spot, as he turns toward her in his all-white attire, lifting the helmet so he can rest the chin of it against his forehead. "I am simply working with the epee."

Then he asks her, "Do you know much about fencing, or should I give you a quick explanation? There are differences." The two have not crossed paths all that much, as far as he can remember, but he always has a smile for someone associated with this place.

Alison Blaire has posed:
Although they are contemporaries, Alison knows Kurt in the same way that she knows almost all members of the faculty: in a cursory way. Being a college graduate, she doesn't have need to attend regular classes at the school, so her interactions have been more directly with those who could provide training for her in the more martial application of her powers. to date, that has not been Kurt. However, the German mutant had a reputation in the school for being one of the friendliest and most easygoing in the faculty.

"You would be amazed, but there is very little fencing in pre-law," she says by way of explanation, with a matching smile, "It's one of the reasons I decided not to continue into law school. Surprisingly enough, though, there's not a lot of fencing going on in pop music, either, so I am going to take you up on that explanation."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner mock-gasps. "I am shocked! Fencing is one of the world's greatest sports! Why, you may ask? Because we use swords! Oh, they may not be a knight's sword, or a pirate's sword, but they are safe enough und the way you score points. Imagine if you won your cases by defeating your opponent, or won a recording contract the same way." Forget singing talent!

He steps off the mat and sets the facial protection to the side, heading over to a rack nearby. "You may not know this, but there are three different types of swords in fencing. With the foil, you are only allowed to score a point with the tip, at the torso." He gestures to that area of his body. "The epee, which I was practicing with, you can score anywhere in the same manner, but it is heavier und this leads to defense being sehr important. It is not mein favorite style, but I was feeling in the mood to work on mein defenses." Then he indicates a third. "The saber is also light, but it you may score anywhere above the waist except the hands, und via the tip or the blade. It leads to an aggressive style with points often decided in seconds."

Grinning at her, fangs showing, he asks, "Have I bored you yet? Und what brings you by?"

Alison Blaire has posed:
"Considering what I have to go through in contract renewal negotations, sometimes it feels like I /do/ have to fight at swordpoint to get the contracts," Alison laughs, and pays attention to Kurt's explanation, nodding as each point is explained. "No, not boring at all," she notices each type of blade, "This sort of stuff is fascinating. I imagine training in this helps to develop quick reactions..."

"No particular goal. I had just finished my own exercises and was curious to see who was around. Then it dawned on me that we've never really had much of a chance to talk. Seemed like a good chance to fix that."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner chuckles at the comparison to contract negotiations, as he adds, "Simulation: end." The frozen yet lifelike automaton is gone shortly thereafter, along with everything except the equipment Kurt wears, along with the swords nearby. The rest, he will put away himself. They look like they're from a personal collection.

"Would that I were in a real swordfight, there are things here that would be to mein benefit, although most swords do not bend nearly as much as these." He demonstrates by picking up a foil and showing just how much flexibility it has.

Admitting, "Nein, I do nicht believe we have had that opportunity until now. Is there anything you wish to know? I might ask how a singer like you ended up around a place like this."

Alison Blaire has posed:
"The Professor can be... very persistent," she replies with a shrug. "He first approached me... years ago, now, and offered me a place here. At the time, I wasn't so sure. I had things I wanted to pursue, and family that was... difficult."

She crosses her armms, glancing aruond at the Danger Room, "It wasn't until I found myself facing things that could't be handled by natural talent... well, I realized he had been right all along. I hear that he has the annoying tendency to do that."

She smiles softly and uncrosses her arms, "How about you? How did you end up in this maniac mansion?" For what else could you call an enormous mansion with a secret bunker and facilites underground?

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner agrees. "Ja, that he can be. But he is a good man at heart, und I believe in many of the same things he does." The man takes to pacing slowly, his tail trailing behind him after he's once again put the sword away.

"Mein family..is something of a mystery. I do not really know who mein parents are, but I became a child of the circus. That is where I developed mein love of performing und dangerous-looking acrobatics that were not so dangerous for me once I understood what I could do." He goes on to explain, "But there were still problems in mein world, und the Professor found me before extending an offer for me to come here, und here I have been ever since, except for a time in England with others, in Excalibur. Ja, named after the sword."

Alison Blaire has posed:
"How many performers has he approached, now?" she remarks upon hearing that Kurt, too, has a background in perormance. "I am certain now that if I ask around, I'll find out that Jean has a background in avant-garde puppetry and Logan does interpretive dance."

It isn't the most far-fetched thing she could think of. Word of what happened during the talent show has reached her, after all. "Swords seem to play an important part in your life. For me it was the scales- my dad was very invested in me becoming a lawyer." She grins, "I'm happy to say that I thoroughly disappointed in him in that."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner considers this, the tip of his tail coming around to tap at his chin in thought. "I would not put it past him. There are things we are still learning about some of us, after all." He sinks into a comfortable crouch, the tail then weaving back and forth slowly behind him.

"I was abandoned as a child, for likely obvious reasons. I could have let it cast me into the depths of despair, but I believe life has more to offer than abundant sadness," he tells her. "Und if I allowed myself to live that way, I might not have come to enjoy all the pirate movies in the world."

He wonders, "Have you moved on from thoughts of law, then?"

Alison Blaire has posed:
"That is a decidedly un-German perspective, Kurt, and I am rather glad that you have decided to go for it." She had had to read Schopenhauer as par tof her humanities training. "Yes, law is definitely in my rear-view mirror now. Don't get me wrong, the background is useful because I'm interested in activism, but I was never going to be as comfortable inside a court of law as I am on the stage. Eventually we all end up where we need to be if we stop listening to other people's opinions of what we should do. Wouldn't you agree?"

Kurt Wagner has posed:
Kurt Wagner lifts a dark brow at the remark. "I do love a good beer. Is that German enough for you?" he jokes, the tail going through a round of playful-seeming darting to and fro behind him. "Und law is useful, but perhaps nicht so much if you are not fully committed to it. If you enjoy singing und the stage more, then that is the right calling for you. We all must do what we feel we are best at, ja? I believe I am generally where I was meant to be, helping others und leading our children toward a safer tomorrow."

Alison Blaire has posed:
"Speaking of which," Alison smiles, "My workout built up a good appetite. If you're done with your practice, maybe you'd like to join me upstairs for some subs? You can teach me some more about fencing and let me consult on whether it's something I should take up in order to improve my reaction time." He shrugs, "No German beer in the refrigerator, last I checked, but I did see a pitcher of lemonade."

Kurt Wagner has posed:
"Ahh, I have worked up the urge to eat as well, und there are far worse things to drink than lemonade. I have probably had many of them," Kurt teases, rising from the comfortable crouch to nod in the direction of the way out. "Just allow me to put mein things away und change out of this, und I will meet you there faster than you may think. Next time, you can join me und I can show you the fine art of the sport."