5142/Measured Responses

Measured Responses
Date of Scene:	15 March 2017
Location:	Ad Coelum
Synopsis:	Eryl teaches a class on avoiding damage and keeping your head in a combat situation. Practical exams on the subject occur.
Cast of Characters:	Eryl Fairfax, 20, 1092, Kotone Yamakawa, 1102

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Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Today, A Fortiori is a classroom! Well, it usually is in some sense, but right now it is in the literal sense. Eryl has arranged the hardlight holograms to simulate the four walls with a blackboard behind him. Chairs manifest from nothing the moment someone arrives.

    Once everyone has arrived, he speaks. "Good day. Today, I am here to teach you how to keep a level head in a stressful situation, as well as means of evading damage in a battlefield. These two topics are inextricably linked. Should you get hurt in a fight, it becomes easier to lose focus. Should you lose focus, it becomes easier to get hurt. Teaching both at once will hopefully link the lessons as strongly as the consequences and help you all be more effective."

    He pauses, and clears his throat. "Any questions before I begin?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Battle training isn't that hard, really. At least it shouldn't be, Toph deduces as she leans back a bit in her chair while Eryl goes over the introduction to this lesson. Battlefield awareness is a useful thing to have, and focus is something that can be taught and trained.

    Hmmm, does she have any possible questions? Not that she can think of right now, as she's certain that any questions she does have Eryl will probably answer. Instead she listens and studies the other people who decided to show up to this class.

Elsa Maria (1092) has posed:
    One would think that for a Puella Magi, a classroom would be a familiar setting. It... sort of is! Elsa knows what one is, and knows that she's the right age to be very familiar with them, but that only makes the lack of experience with them more jarring. Yet everything is jarring for her, isn't it? The young girl showed up punctually, and has already taken a seat in a place that would be the second row in a normal classroom.
    Mentioning the priorities makes her fidget! Elsa knows exactly what Eryl is talking about. The extra limbs from her regeneration have withered and fallen away by now, leaving her shoulder and arm as good as new after a few days rest. "No questions," is all she says. Keeping her comments to herself for now might be better.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa had come to help with some of the teaching today, and maybe she could pick up a few other things from the other lessons as well. She was very fond geneally of using less lethal force when she could. It's a shame she muses that they lost access to certain riot control weapons from old Union Allies when the Sundering happened but what can you do as she finds her way in lookinc shockingly casual for once. She looks like she's mostly set for a day off which she really is after the bog incident. She's never going there oh God is she /never/ going back there. She understand why no one from Kid's world /talked/ about that place. Hopefully this will get her mind off it as she finds a spot to sit.

Kotone Shiomi (1102) has posed:
As a high school student living in a dormitory, Kotone Shiomi is probably more familiar with classrooms than she'd really like to be. Regardless, this kind of training seems useful to her. Sure, she may not be the person who spurred this, but she's inexperienced and charged with a leadership role, she feels this kind of thing may be important.

While she's left her Naginata at home, a chromed object that looks very much like a gun is something she carries with her, and it's in her hand when she raises it to ask a question, "If in the moment I do not have time to explain the method I use to summon my Persona, how do I best deal with the fact it can lead to mistaken impressions which can cause other people to lead to lose a level head and compromise the mission?"

By means of demonstration, she points this 'gun' at her temple, takes a few deep breaths, and pulls the trigger. She calls out "Orpheus" and psychic energy blasts from the barrel, amplified by her head, and forms into a mechanical being that holds a heart-shaped harp. It bows before vanishing back into energy.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl looks to Shiomi as she asks her question. Even though he knew how it worked form her file, it is still a bit distressing. "An excellent question. If possible, I would recommend briefing everyone before the operation is underway, but as you said, that might not always be possible. In that case, try to conceal the Evoker from your allies with your own head, so that they see the results before the cause. That should hopefully prevent panic. Now, if there's nothing else, let's begin."

     The board behind him begins to manifest text at the top in all capital letters. "We will begin with the topic of COVER. Cover is the most effective way to avoid being hurt during a battle, but not always in the way you think."

    The board manifests a cartoon of a stick figure using a chest-high wall to hide from gunfire. "Certainly, some types of cover can protect you from projectile attacks. However, depending on what it's made of, or what kind of projectile is shot at you, it may not do much to stop it." More cartoons pop up, of the stick figure being hit through thin cover and having a grenade tossed over their cover to flush them out.

    "However, all cover does one thing well, and that is block your opponent's line of sight. It's very hard to hit what they cannot see. For this reason, I recommend that if you are hiding behind narrow cover, stick to the sides rather than the centre. If they have the means to shoot through your cover, the centre is the first place they'll try. If it is a long stretch of cover, this still applies, but try to move at random behind it to throw them off further."

    Another pause, which he uses to sip at a glass of water. "Any questions on this topic?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Some new people she hasn't met face to face... Elsa Maria she's only heard on the radio so far, though there doesn't seem to be anything specific about her that Toph can notice right now. Kotone Yamakawa is hardly a stranger... though the other Kotone is somebody that draws attention from the blind metalbender. Especially when she raises the metallic gunlike object to her head. Immediately Toph's eyes widen, and she actually... looks shocked. "WHAT T--" Her hand raises, and she's just about to try to use her bending on the weapon... but then the other girl actually does fire the weapon... without lethal results. Well, the blind teenager looks surprised where she sits... and then grumbles. "You could have freaking /warned/ me beforehand!" Whatever she did, it's less freaky then somebody blowing their brains out. And people say summoning devils and monsters are freaky...!

    Eryl begins his lesson, and Toph listens intently. Even if she can't see the board and its lovely illustrations of stick figures. Sure, cover is something easy for her at least, considering she can make it at will in most places.

    Does she have any questions regarding this? Hmmm. Raising her hand, Toph waits for Eryl to acknowledge her before she speaks. "Do you have any tips for how to deal with enemies who hide behind cover?"

Elsa Maria (1092) has posed:
    The gun going to Kotone's head doesn't panic Elsa! She looks confused, to be sure, but she doesn't start to show alarm until the trigger is being pulled, and by then it's far too late to stop the um... not-suicide from happening. Instead Orpheus is there and she's looking at the Persona very carefully. Maybe her Witch senses are twinging, but if so she's not attuned enough to them to figure out what the Persona IS, exactly.
    Cover! "I'm not used to using cover," she admits. Her fighting style seems to be literally 'sit and pray,' so far.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa ahd some experiance with persona with August's group but how Kotone Shiomi's own persona works. How hwer's workd did leave Kotone very unsettled even as she knew how this works before hand She does smie a bit htough it seems.

"Hug Cover like it's your mother, or so my father is fond of saying."

Never the mind it came from a minature game her dad liked to still play to this /day/ it oddly applied pretty well in real life. She'd have had a similar reaction but when she first saw it she was in the middle of a fight with Shadows. It still disturbs the heck out of her honestly.

Kotone Shiomi (1102) has posed:
Kotone nods at the suggestion, taking it into account and she is about to go quiet until Toph has her outburst. "I thought I did, sorry." The bits about cover see her take notes, but there's no more questions being asked right now, at least, the idea of cover seems to make enough sense to her that she doesn't seem to have any questions.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl points to Toph and nods. "A good question. The safest way to do this is to make their cover hazardous, preferably without compromising your own. This can be achieved by throwing a grenade over it, or some other form of splash damage. If you feel as if you can avoid being harmed by whatever they can throw at you, rushing their position can also work, and puts you in a position to arrest them. If you think they may be of choleric temperament, taunting them may draw them out, but this is a tactic to be used carefully. They may react in a way that is hazardous to you or others."

    Looking to Elsa, he says "It is a good habit to learn. If not for your sake, than the sake of your comrades so they don't have to worry about you. But, for our next topic;" The board wipes itself down, and the topic changes to 'MOVING OUT OF COVER.' The cyborg continues. "There will be times you have to move while under fire. There are methods you can use to minimize your chance of taking damage during this time." More cartoons, with a stick figure running in a zig-zagging motion. "The first, and most important lesson is to not move in a straight, predictable line. Serpentine if at all possible. Furthermore, don't just run from cover and hope for the best. Plot a course and stick to it, barring anything that might interrupt it. Thirdly, don't make your trip in one run if it is a long one. Pick out cover along the way to get behind, even if just as a place to go if the situation worsens."

    Another pause, another sip of water. "Questions?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Some of us only know of one situation where people put guns against their heads," Toph points out to Shiomi, though she does sigh without sounding upset. Heck, she might be used to summoning that thing and usually spends time around people who know that she's not about to try and kill herself. So bitching at her isn't necessary, especially not in class.

    Well, it seems Eryl has the same ideas that Toph finds herself having. Making it hazardous by bending... or trash talking. Trash talking works a lot of the time against certain opponents. And well, moving out of cover is potentially risky. "In my experience it's useful to create cover, though it's not always easy for most people," she admits with a shrug before she reaches up to dig a pinkie finger into her ear.

Elsa Maria (1092) has posed:
    Elsa, on the other hand(haha), sounds pretty fascinated by the concepts, as if they never occured to her. It is something she immediately connects to the tactics she's seen others do, though. Nod. Nod. Then a shifting in her seat while she thinks of other ideas. "Dash to cover from cover..."

    That brings up her first question. "How do we stop them from doing the same?"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is doing a good dela of listening for now as this is more the part of the lesson she cam ot refresh her self on vses what she has to offer later. FOr now she listens and watches the lesson go on and which questions are being asked.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl nods to Toph. "The ability to create cover is a valuble one. Most have to make do with some kind of shield. In the field, I ask that you prioritize making cover if there is none. You'll be doing your comrades a service." He looks to Elsa next and smiles. "Another good question. The answer to it is 'suppressive fire.' The point of this is to attack not the target, but the route they seem to be taking. Make continuing along it a bad idea. This leaves them out in the open, forcing them to stop and change their path. Even a moment's hesitation can be capitalized on. Of course, alert your allies that this is your plan, so one of them can take advantage."

    "Just one more topic before we move on to the practical segment." The board is cleared once more, and the topic becomes 'COPING WITH BEING HIT.' "Eventually, you will probably be wounded in the field. How you deal with it at the time is important. The first thing, and I cannot stress this enough, is that you prioritize your own safety over retaliation. Immediately after you are wounded, you might want to pay your attacker back, but that leaves you open for further injury. Find secure cover, hunker down, and alert your allies."

    All of this is delivered with a sterner look than usual. Everyone's eyes are met before he continues, mellowing some. "Once you are behind cover, take 10 seconds to steel yourself. Take a deep breath through the nose, enough to fill the lungs to capacity. Breath out through your mouth, and then assess your wounds. If it is serious, call for medical attention. If it is something you can cope with, get it patched as best you can and return to the fight once you feel you can handle it. Remember, it is always, ALWAYS better to let your target get away than it is to rush after them and die in the process. We can always get them next time, but we cannot get you back ever."

    Another long look at everyone, to ensure this has sunk in. "Questions?"

Elsa Maria (1092) has posed:
    That last bit is... kind of toward her, huh? Elsa sinks a little lower into her chair, even if she knows it's not exactly unexpected. She's never NOT been fighting for her life in a kill or be killed situation, until now. So to the injuring thing? She nods and tries to commit that to memory.
    The rest she at least has an idea how to do! "Suppressive... like using my arms to make it bad to move into them?" Eryl at least has seen her combat ability and knows how deadly those can be. It just looks like tactics and planning aren't a thing Elsa has done before, except for raw basics like holding or delaying people.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The blind metalbender nods in response to Eryl. Making cover and using her bending as support, not just offense and defense isn't new to her at all. A dead ally can't help you unless you're being morbidly creative, and well... as she likes her allies she has an extra incentive to want to keep them alive and well.

    Being injured is never easy, especially not during battle. Like the previous topics this isn't something Toph hasn't heard before, but it might be new to some of the others. So instead Toph idly bends her bracelet, a calm look on her face even as Eryl looks them in the eyes. Not that Toph is able to know. For now she's just waiting for the practical segment, which is the main reason she's here. Training with allies is important, and learning about what they can do is invaluable on the battlefield.

    Elsa's reaction to Eryl's words is curious, however... and Toph shifts her focus to the younger girl. "Make it hard for them to move from cover to cover. Focus your attacks on the areas between them." As she has no idea what Elsa can do with her arms, Toph decides to stick with the simple explanations for now.

Kotone Shiomi (1102) has posed:
Now that's an instruction that Kotone Shiomi is likely to ignore. If people need saving, she's not going to let a little thing like bodily harm hold her back. She doesn't mention it though, she just doesn't write that particular bit down in her notes, unlike pretty much everything else that has been discussed. Instead she asks another question, "I'm not great at it, but in a pinch I can help with battlefield healing. I've used it mostly to cover for one of my team-mates who is much better at it than me, but when should I use magic like it?"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is listening sh knows omethings can be used ot make cover or tempoary cover. The talk about being hit? That's somethign does need to pay attention while she can mitgate some of the injures effects it would only lead to more damage long term putting her tatical senses off line. Still she makes note of it it may help someone else for a moment. She looks to Kotone Shiomu for a oment as she speaks up.

"Another healer is always welcome, could mean the differnce between someone bleeding out and suriving till they can get fukl on help."

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl lets Toph answer Elsa's question. "That's exactly it. Slam the area with your hands, or just arrange them into a wall to cut them off." Next he looks to Shiomi and says, "I'm not sure of the capabilities or limits of your magic, but in general, when they are bleeding, try to close the wound as best you can. Swellings, bruises, and broken bones can be left alone for a bit, but loss of blood is something that can only worsen over time."

    "Now, I'm sure you're all sick of hearing me prattle on, so it is time to put what I have said into action." He claps his hands, and the classroom radically shift. The wall with the blackboard zooms far into the distance as Eryl's ground becomes elevated. Various types of cover spring up over the distance between the group and the far wall as Eryl speaks from a balcony above.

    "Your goal now is to reach the far end of this room. I will be up here, throwing beanbags at you. You are to use only the cover to avoid being hit. But don't be too reliant on it, because I also have bouncing balls that I can use to hit you behind cover. If you are hit, you are to take cover and do the breathing exercise I mentioned for 10 seconds. Only then can you continue to move towards the goal. First one there will receive a prize."

    He starts casually tossing one of these beanbags up and catching it lazily. "Just as in a real firefight, there is no countdown. Ready, GO!" And to punctuate the point, he starts pelting beanbags down at the four immediately!

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Prattling can be endured, especially if there's some action to follow! Toph immediately bends her bracelet back into shape and slips it onto her wrist, then she cracks her knuckles. Finally!

    As the classroom changes she looks a bit curious at first, but as the covers appear it all makes sense. Time to use what Eryl was talking about, she assumes. Bean bags... well, that shouldn't hurt if they get hit with those. Still, she has a question now. "Are we allowed to use our powers, or do we have to rely on the covers already there?" Might as well ask before she attempts to make this easier with bending. Eryl /is/ rather strict, and well... she'd hate to get more hours of getting blisters on her hands from heavy work in the farming section.

    Once they are given the signal to get started Toph rushes towards the closest cover, already planning a route. Perhaps it's prudent to observe how the others move as well, to spread out. Though she can't help but wonder if Eryl has a devious way of throwing bean bags at several of them at once.

Elsa Maria (1092) has posed:
    Practical exam! Elsa startles when the terrain shifts, but that doesn't bother her as much as the shadows shifting. That's her source of power... actually it isn't, her source of power is knowing she's right, but shadows are important too! It conveniently makes her powers physically weaker to have a lack of confidence right now though! No need to hold back.
    She dashes behind the closest rise, aware enough - and now experienced enough - to realize that this is the best place to get her bearings. Concentrating, she makes some of the shadows of the others warp, but Eryl said not to use anything but cover... she can't hide in those with her abilities...
    But she can use them to help her along if she can find an unusual surface. In the meantime she tries a distraction, making her arms dart out from one side to draw the eye, then scrambling out the other to duck behind the next bit!
    If the distraction doesn't work, she'll probably be pegged though. Elsa Maria is still not used to using her powers while moving, and it shows.

Kotone Shiomi (1102) has posed:
Kotone is pretty quick on her feet, and watching incoming objects isn't just something she does in combat. Tennis also involves that, and as such she's not entirely flat-footed by this kind of task, but mere agility and a good eye does not lead to actually being able to combine this with cover and quick movement, and so she gets hit almost right away, and when she pops out ten seconds later, she ends up suffering the same fate, but at least she's close enough to a piece of cover nearer to the goal to gain a little ground.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    "I believe I said to only use the cover. For failure to listen, you get the first bouncy ball." Eryl pulls back his arm and launches, sending a projectile bouncing around the cover. Thanks to his implants, he's able to plan out five bounces while staying on target to try and hit Toph! "Also, try to talk as little as possible so as to not give away your position!"

    As Elsa takes cover and uses her shadows as a distraction... well, it does work, Eryl tosses a beanbag at them. "Hmm... clever way of using the letter of my words to gain an advantage. Utilizing a distraction to make your next run from cover safer is a good strategy. But I meant that you only use the cover, with no powers, so... bouncy ball." And then another one is launched into the hallway, bouncing around to try and hit Elsa!

    Shiomi is not doing a good job though. Eryl manages to hit her a couple of times, and the amount of spin he puts on those beanbags really makes them sting! "Faster Shiomi! Remember, serpentine to throw off the attacker's aim!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    What? Now he's just being picky with his words! If he only meant they could use the covers /he/ set up, he should have said so! Toph rolls her eyes as she gets behind cover, then quickly kicks off and heads off to the next cover off to the side to avoid the bouncy ball. It doesn't allow her to advance closer to Eryl, but that's better than being hit! Of course she's not planning on talking while hiding behind cover. This... is a limiting exercise indeed. Normally she would be making covers all over. Using her bending to distract as well as mislead people to her current position. And Elsa seems to realise that only too late.

    Quietly Toph gets into position... then rushes over to the next cover, though suddenly she leaps to the side and rolls towards another cover instead!

Elsa Maria (1092) has posed:
    Yelp! Elsa squeaks as the ball hits her... a sound that is far more adorable than anything the otherwise morbid but polite girl has made thus far! She sighs, her shadow arms jerking upward but... she breathes in and tries the exercise. All she REALLY needed was a moment to force herself to not lash out, so this works really well. "Oh... no powers. All right."
    She forces herself to stop messing with the shape of the nearby shadows, but she can't stop her own shadow from making vicious swipes at Eryl's. Elsa doesn't even seem to notice that it is doing that... but good thing her shadow is cut off in another second by her dashing for another bit of cover, alittle more reliably this time!

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is now watching everyone put to use what they have learned from the lesson eariler with a good deal of intrest. She wtche everyne learn even when they stumble she seems to not be judging them only thinking of ways to maybe help them get better. She thinks of her own training from XCOM as she watches there's some mistakes she's made that she sees here and others get things right that she got wrong early on.

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    Eryl wings a beabag at Toph, but it strikes at where she would be had she not somersaulted in a different direction! "Very effective serpentine! But I advise against dodge rolling, the shift in perspectives can make it hard to effectively track those attacking you!"

    And while Elsa might not have noticed her shadow trying to rip at Eryl's, he certainly does. "Elsa, keep your shadow under control, or have two bouncing balls to deal with!" This is just a verbal warning for now, as it does seem that she didn't mean for this to happen.

    The finishing line is in sight! Who will be the first to cross?!

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Perhaps after their done with this exercise Toph will have to point out to Eryl that she's got absolutely no problem tracking people even if her eyes are turned in a different direction... or maybe he will realise it by himself.

    Okay, not too far now. Toph charges at another cover nearby, running in a zig zag pattern and keeping it uneven so it might be more difficult for Eryl to figure out where she might go. Focus... it might be tempting to run right after one of the others run and make themselves a target, but Eryl might be able to throw several bags and balls at once. So Toph will keep to the safe serpentine pattern, adding in dodge roll to get behind cover... and then vaulting over it to charge to the next one!

Elsa Maria (1092) has posed:
    Elsa never even thought about rolling at least. "Sorry, sir, that's the one shadow I can't seem to control." She's sincerely apologetic, and she does remember that she shouldn't be talking. She tries to make up for it by dashing from the /opposite/ side of the barrier she was behind, and only briefly staying behind the next before zipping back and taking a completely different route. Instead of weaving she seems to be doing a very short dash strategy, but that limits her options even if it does keep her out of exposure pretty well. She'll need to practice this more.

    She's also moving faster than a human should, but only a little. She's probably just not sure about what human limits /are/ since she's only a few months 'old' anyway.

    She does break up the pattern at the very end, making a longer and sudden sprint toward the finish, when she logically would have gone for several closer ones. It'll probably end badly for her but at least she's trying to vary her tactics?

Eryl Fairfax has posed:
    The final stretch! And Toph was right to think that. In this moment, Eryl start throwing the beanbags faster, two per hand! But he's also not really aiming anymore. He's showing the concept of suppressive fire by peppering the final part with beanbags.

    Elsa's sudden mix-up in her movement patterns is actually surprisingly effective. Eryl was predicting his enxt shot based off of it, so the sudden change makes him take a second to recalculate. "Very clever Elsa!" That final barrage attempts to pin her down... but she hits the far wall first!

    "Well done everyone," the Grandmaster says as the training room resets. "Now, normally I would offer Elsa the prize... but there was some miscommunication on my end that confused the point of this challenge. To make it fair, I extend the prize to you all; dinner at the Bar and Grill is on me. Good work everyone."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Okay, the exercise is over and done with. And even if she didn't get the wall first, Toph looks content as she rolls her shoulders a bit... and punches Elsa lightly in the arm. "Nice work, kiddo." It's good that she's got skills to keep herself safe.

    Yet, she can't help but hold out her hand towards Eryl, raising her index finger. "1. You could have specified the rules better beforehand." Another finger raises. "2. I don't need to keep my eyes on the opponent since my eyes are useless" Maybe... she should set up a training session on her own down the line. It might be something people would want to join.

Elsa Maria (1092) has posed:
    Beanbag hits! And... she's on the wall. Elsa lets out a breath, and the shadows wobble a little. Aside from hers, which tries to strangle Toph's shadow. She attempts to nudge it away with a foot, but it doesn't really work. "I'll um... work more on that and practicing other ways. The only fighting I can remember, I just knelt and let the arms do it for me. Thank you, sir." She smiles wanly. "I don't think that trick would work twice."