riverview | video; @sif (Thor 3 spoilers)

[ Sif is... not overly used to public speaking, unless you count rousing yells to fire soldiers up for battle, or perhaps the occasional drunken rant about something or other. Hence she looks more than a little stiff on camera, unsure how to address a crowd of unknown size that she can't even see. ]

Greetings, I am Lady Sif of Asgard.

[ Regardless of what happened to her home, that is how she will always refer to herself. ]

I am a member of the Perimeter Guard, and I am currently in need of sparring partners. Those of you who know what it means to be an asgardian will know what that says about my physique and how it might compare to your own abilities.

To those of you not familiar, suffice it to say that my people live for a long time, and I have spent most of my years training for battle. It requires a great deal of force to harm me, though blades will fare better than blunt instruments. As for my strength, it is quite considerable, though I could not say what that would mean in relative terms.

If you think yourself up to the challenge, I would be grateful if you would make yourself known.

Thank you.

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Morning person?

I'm free in the AM.

That would be fine.

[Just as promised, John stops by the PG training area as soon as he's finished his morning run, warmed up and ready to go.

Well, as ready as he'll ever be. John's cautiously optimistic. Best case scenario, he's found a new sparring partner. Worst case scenario, he's dead, and there are worse ways to die than at the hand of a beautiful woman. If he gets hit on the head hard enough, maybe he'll wake up back home.

Picking up the nearest practice sword, he begins practicing the basic forms Teyla, in all her infinite wisdom and patience, had drilled into his thick skull over the years. He's rusty, but it starts coming back to him after the first clumsy strikes.

And since he's alone? Some lightsaber sound-effects might slip out. His reasons for learning the way of the sword are entirely practical. Really.]

Fwoooom, fwoom, KCH-

[ Sif arrives not too long after him, but rather than announce herself she simply leans against a wall and watches him for a little while to assess his skill level. It would appear that he has been taught by someone who knew that they were doing, even if it is also apparent that this is not something this man tends to do every day.

And then there is of course the sound effects...

If he starts trying some fancy jedi-swirling he might catch sight of her, one eyebrow raised and lips twitching a little with amusement. ]

[John can't help but do some swirling, including a really cool jump-twirl that would be badass in a set of Jedi robes- if he were by himself, in his garage, and still fourteen years old. At least that's what his brain tells him as soon as he catches sight of his really buff, really attractive sparring partner, who can only have been watching him for an embarrassing length of time.

He stops mid 'fwooom', and reels his limbs back in towards his body, so he's at least standing somewhat normally, with the practice sword held at neutral.]

Yeah, I just thought I'd warm up with some... Tai-Chi. You know. Get the energy flowing.

I see.

[ The whole display is rather endearing, really. Sif is not without a playful side herself, and she can still remember being the asgardian equivalent of fourteen and dreaming of what a great warrior she would be one day.

She pushes off from the wall and walks a few steps closer to him, rolling her shoulders a little to loosen them up. ]

Is that what the 'fwoom' was about?

[ Congratulations, you just heard a goddess imitate a lightsaber. ]

[Sif reminds him of Teyla in the way she moves like a panther. All power, no show. The real difference between men and women in a nutshell. John misses Teyla intensely. Even more than keeping his skills sharp, that's what this sparring session is about. Reconnecting in some way to the life and people he'd left behind, and making an attempt to fill the gap.

John knows there's no replacing Teyla, she owns a piece of his heart that will never belong to anyone else, but there's something to be said for meeting new people, too.]

Uh, yeah. That's exactly what it was about. Tai Chi. Maybe I'll show you sometime.

[Sif's imitation of his imitation cracks him the hell up, but he does his best not to show it, biting on his lower lip to keep himself from breaking out into a shit-eating grin. The last place John wants to disrespect a viking god is before battle. Sif hadn't promised to leave his arms and legs intact, after all, so he's on his best behaviour.

There will probably be blood.]

So, how do we wanna do this? I've only sparred with Athosians, and they had their own set of rules. I'm guessing yours are different, given you haven't knocked my feet out from under me yet.

Edited 2018-01-03 19:46 (UTC)

[ Sif could well understand the need to at least fill parts of a void inside, left behind by an old life and old friends.

She will never have Asgard back, and she isn't sure that she will ever feel the same way about the one friend she has here from that life again. It's all a mess, really, which is why she turned to the network in search of some distractions.

It's useless to wallow, but it's also very difficult not to if you don't have anything better to do. ]

That sounds a lot like Asgardian sparring, actually.

[ At least the way she tends to do it. Sif isn't what you'd want to call a merciful sparring partner most of the time. Here it's a bit different though, since so many of the people she fights are significantly weaker than she is.

Can she resist trying to knock John off his feet now that he brought it up though?

NOPE. ]

[John really should have seen that coming. But he doesn't, not until it's too late.

Before he can open his mouth, Sif's knocked him on his ass like an overgrown toddler.]

Oh c'mon!

[He slaps the ground with one hand and pushes off with the other, his tailbone already smarting. Just like back home. At least John's used it. Both Ronon and Teyla can kick his ass with one arm held behind their back, sometimes while hopping on one leg.

He's not going to tell Sif about that game.

John puts a decent amount of distance between them, actually holding his practice sword at the ready this time. Whether it will make a difference remains to be seen. Probably not.]

Athosians, Asgardians, Christians- you let your guard down once!

Edited (I HAVEN'T HAD MY COFFEE YET) 2018-01-05 18:22 (UTC)

[ Sif actually laughs when his ass hits the floor, though it's not really mean-spirited, she just can't help herself.

Maybe he wouldn't mind so much if he knew how little she has to laugh at these days. ]

Sounds to me like you have been letting your guard down a lot more than that.

[ And there she goes again, closing the distance between them though this time giving him a chance to actually block something when she aims a blow at him with her sword.

Not a very hard one, so he should be able to handle it just fine. ]

Are you judging me? Because I'm feeling pretty judged-

[John raises his practice sword just in time to block her strike, scooting back on his ass until there's enough room between them for him to jump back up onto his feet.

Sif's strong, alright. John knows she's going slow on him, and he can still feel the vibration of the blow in the bones of his forearm and wrist. Her full strength would probably tear his hand off.]

I didn't know you were that kind of god. Do you have naughty and nice lists? I mean, I'm pretty sure I already know which one I'm on, but-

Edited 2018-01-19 04:56 (UTC)

[ There is something genuinely nasty about the way she smiles at him, and she stalks around him very much like a big, predatory cat. ]

I am the goddess of war.

[ She faints a blow at shoulder height and then quickly delivers a true one aimed at his thigh. ]

Everyone is on my naughty list.

[Wow. That is nasty. John shivers, though he does his best not to show it. He's increasingly aware of the fact she can crush him effortlessly. That it probably takes more effort not to crush him.

He lifts his practice sword to block at the shoulder, and doesn't see the switch in stance until it's too late. His thigh muscle spasms beneath the blow, and his leg buckles. He goes down onto one knee, but not without lashing out for Sif's ankle with his own sword.

His goal is to hit her once, anywhere. If he gets that much on her, he'll wear his bruises with pride.]

Put me somewhere near the top! I'm competitive like that.

video; @sif (Thor 3 spoilers)

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he's so cute

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