| Details for A Place of Honour |
| Summary: | Ripley comes to a Dueling Club meeting and benefits from Lucian's mentorship |
| Date: | October 28, 1937 |
| Location: | Club Room |
| Related: | Teach Me, You Jerk |
| Characters |
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So he shows up. He comes in and looks about but doesn't look as sullen as he has lately. He's actually got a smile on his face as he enters the room and looks about.
Lucian is crouched beside a Second Year member of the Dueling Club, demonstrating a particular wand movement. "You have to sort of wind your wand around, like you're wrapping it around your opponent's wand. That's the key to a strong Disarming Charm. Now, try it on me." He goes to stand across from the young boy, holding his wand at the ready, but simply awaiting as the boy casts a clumsy Expelliarmus. But it's enough to yank Lucian's wand from his lazy grip. From the corner of the room where he is observing, Albus Dumbledore gives a clap of applause. Lucian nods, "Good job, kid. Keep practicing that movement." He goes to retieve the fallen wand, where it has rolled to the feet of the newly arrived Ripley Fox.
Ripley leans down to pick up the wand and he reaches out to hand it to Lucian, "Lucian." He speaks and gives the other Slytherin a nod of his head. A look is given to Dumbledore and the boy gives him a deep nod of his head. "Sir." He speaks and then looks about the room. "So who are you torturing today?" He says, looking to the prefect.
Lucian takes the wand, only giving Ripley a suspicious eye for a moment. But he quickly lets it go. "That's Benjamin Bean. Hufflepuff. He's new to the club. The tournament inspired him. Come on, I'll introduce you around." He motions for Ripley to follow him. Surely, Rip already knows many of these students, but this time, there is a camaraderie that just isn't the same as out in the halls. Lucian even greets Gryffindors with at least neutral respect, if not a hint of warmth.
Ripley follows along and watches each of the students as they nod and the like, "Been here before, just ever done much. Stayed in the back. Not even been the best with a wand and all. Just do what I have to to get along, you know?"
Lucian nods, "It's not about being the best with a wand. That's only part of what makes a good duelist. It's about your mindset. A lot of people come in here expecting to show off, or thinking they can just blow through their opponents with pure strengths. They always end up on their arses." That earns a knowing chuckle from one or two other club members as they pass. "Discipline and a cool head are what will win the day, nine times out of ten."
Ripley nods to this a he walks about with Lucian. "I can do all that, I do the same out on the pitch. You can't just blow through something. You have to study what they are doing and go from there."
Lucian shrugs, "Maybe. You've got a bit of a hot head sometimes, though. Gotta make sure you don't bring that to the dueling stage. If you do, you've lost. Especially if you go up against an opponent that tries to taunt you, or goad you into stupid moves. I think it's unsporting, but some people do it."
"Stupid moves?" Ripley says, "What about using my skills for dodging and all that?"
Lucian nods, "That can help. But you've only got a few feet of lateral movement on the stage, and most spells are going to be aimed at your center, which doesn't leave much room to maneuver around them. That's why defensive spells are just as important as offensive spells."
"So do you just recommend throwing up defense no matter what right off?" Ripley asks and thinks.
"Not always," Lucian says as he stops by another younger member, physically gripping his leg to correct his stance. "You need to learn how to predict your opponent. Sometimes you can tell a lot about them just be looking at their stance. If you can see what's coming before they cast it, you can counter it. Or, if you're fast enough, you can take them down before they get a chance to cast."
Ripley wrinkles his brow a little bit and asks, "Why can't you be like this all the time and not an asshole?" He asks, watching the stances around the room a bit. He looks back to Lucian, "So stance works and being fast."
Lucian stops and points a finger at Ripley. "Watch it. Leave that shite at the door. Got it?" He drops the finger and continues on, leading Ripley back toward the dueling stage. "Stance, speed, wandwork, wits…it's all important. You have to be dedicated to improving everything about yourself if you really want to excel here."
"There he is." Ripley teases a bit and then goes back to being serious, "Right. I got all that. What I need is strategy. What to use when and what not to use." He paces around a bit, "Like how to use what I know to best."
Lucian gives Ripley another warning look, but lets the teasing go this time. "That comes with practice. You have to get a feel for what works for you. But the last thing you want to do is become predictable. Then, all anyone has to do to beat you is watch your matches. You need to be able to surprise people."
Ripley takes in a deep breath and nods, "Even in life if you need magic you have to know what to do. I mean, this place trains us for the real world, right?" He looks about, "Like shields. Do you use the big ones or the little ones right off?"
Lucian shrugs, "Like I said, you learn what works for you, and then work on how to adapt. Most people tend to find a niche, until they get predictable. Then, necessity makes them branch out." He crosses his arms, giving Ripley an appraising look. "You're really serious about this, right? I'll help you in here, but don't be wasting my time if this is a joke to you."
Ripley looks to Lucian. "Would I be in here with you if I wasn't serious about this? I need to know what works best and how people tick. I can't live on Quidditch. Well, I can but it won't hurt to be able to be better at something." He frowns a bit, "At least I can defend myself against my brother."
Lucian furrows his brow, a bit confused. "Your brother? Why would you need to defend yourself against him? He's on your side."
Ripley casts a look to Dumbledore and looks back to Lucian to speak in very low tones, "And that's why you are with Ria and not me, right?" He says and tries to not bring up too much of the Vow situation.
Lucian sighs. Damn it. It was always going to come to this, wasn't it? He steps close, keeping his voice down. "He was always trying to look out for you. That I happened to want the same thing he did was just a happy coincidence for me. But whether you agree with what he did or not, he was willing to put a hell of a lot on the line for you. You can't buy loyalty like that."
Ripley takes in a breath, "He did it to get ahead after he did all the screw ups with his wand. You just offered him something that would help him. He wasn't looking out for me. It was a means to an end for him and I just happened to step right in the noose." He waves a hand about, "It's okay. I have someone now who won't stab me in the back. He's my brother. I love him. I will always be there for him but I just can't trust him fully yet and if down the road he turns to the dark arts… I need to know how to defend myself. "
Lucian sighs and shrugs. "I think you're wrong about him. He was worried that Ria would hurt you, and he was probably right. She's a complicated girl." He tilts his head, something Ripley said suddenly sinking. "You really think he'd turn to Dark magic?" There isn't exactly a lot of doubt in his voice when it asks. It makes a strange kind of sense, given what he's seen in Leander.
Ripley draws in a breath, "There is something in his eyes that makes me think he could. We are twins but we couldn't be more different. We strive for different things. All I know is that if I get into a situation where I need to defend myself with a wand I need to be ready. My fists, I have no worries but magic, I'm on the bottom rungs. So you are damn right that I am serious."
"Alright, then. We'll start with defense, since that's going to be most important to you. You must have learned Hex Deflection in Defense Against the Dark Arts by now. Can you produce a decent Shield Charm?"
"Yes." Ripley nods.
Lucian grins, "Perfect. A good, old fashioned Protego is your best friend in most situations. It'll block most spells. It can rebound spells back at your attacker, and if they're close enough, knock them back." He gives what might be interpreted as an apologetic shrug.
"Right. But it only works for a little bit. You can't win with just protego, protego, protego…" Ripley shakes his head, "Haven't knocked anyone back. Just basically managed to soak a spell."
"That's a start. Plenty can't even manage that." Lucian settles into a stance. "Stance. A good defense stance helps. It's about your mindset. You have to think defensively. It's more than just waving your wand and saying the word. You have to make everything about you armour, so when you block that spell…" He makes a parrying potion with his wand, incanting, "Protego!" There is a flash of white light, and a nearby dummy is sent hurtling toward a wall. "Just imagine what it feels like to be punched by a man in a suit of armour. Defense can be offense."
Ripley thinks for a moment, "So put all my power that I put into a punch into the spell. The movement and everything." He ponders for a moment and takes his wand out, holding it firmly and looks to the dummy and with a twist of his hips and his arm thrusting out with a punch like movement he speaks with a strong voice filled with promise, "Protego!" And lets the spell fly.
Lucian winces, shaking his head as the flash dissipates. "You're still thinking too physically about this. It's about mentality. This is a block, not a thrust. Watch." He demonstrates the wand movement slowly. It's not unlike a swordsman parrying an incoming blow. "Remember, armour. Literally try to envision armour around yourself, and use the weight of it to really knock back the incoming blow."
Ripley pulls back, sets his stance, holds his wand. His eyes close a little bit for a moment before he starts the movement of his wand in a circle, then snaps it around with his wrist and speaks, "Protego!" At the dummy once more.
Lucian smirks as the dummy is rocked back. "Better. Much better. Just keep practicing that. You'll get the hang of it."
Ripley sees the dummy rock a little and he nods to it. No smile but a simple nod. He practices a few more times, shifting stance, changing the direction of his wand, the inflection of his voice. After a bit he looks to Lucian and speaks in a whisper, "What about bigger spells? Things we don't learn here?"
Lucian chuckles, matching Ripley's volume. "What, like turning people into finches? Don't get ahead of yourself. There's plenty to learn here. But you need to master the basic before you try anything fancy."
"Not finches." Ripley says to him, his voice low and grave, "Bigger."
Lucian crosses his arms, eyeballing Ripley with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. "What are you getting at, Fox? On-the-fly transfiguration is advanced stuff. What more do you need?"
Ripley looks to Lucian, "I want to know if you would ever kill someone." He says quite seriously. "I want to practice transfiguration like that. I like that kind of thing but I am curious. The curses. Would you ever?"
<OOC> Ripley says, "It's not the kind of question of entrapment. He could see that on his face. He's genuinely curious."
Lucian arches an eyebrow at Ripley, and there is a sudden sternness to his features, almost like a father disciplining a child. "Don't you ever speak of that in here," he hisses. "This club is a haven. We fight for sport and for honour. Not to learn how to kill each other." He gives Ripley a sneer of disgust, and walks away to the other end of the room, seething. When another club member approaches him, she is waved away. He finds a bench and sits down, forcing himself to breathe steadily, but he is clearly fuming.
Ripley frowns to this and walks over to Lucian, "Look. I'm sorry. Been thinking a lot about this dark arts stuff and I am concerned. I don't think I could and I was just wanting to talk to someone who I thought I could talk to about it. I am worried about futures." As he looks around the room, "Sure. We talk of sport and the easy side, but when do we consider the hard side? Some of the realities that some day someone may send one of those curses on us." His voice is still low, seeking answers. "How do we stop that?"
Lucian tries not to glare too hard at Ripley. "You've taken Defense Against the Dark Arts. Pay more attention in class. Yes, what you learn here will help you in a real fight. But there are certain things you just don't talk about here. That's one of them. Got it?"
Ripley gives a nods to Lucian, "Then out of here. When?" Ripley says to Lucian. "You am I may not see eye to eye but you are the best at a wand I know. Classes and all are all good. But you can't sit down and talk strategy in the middle of class, can you? No. They throw the books at you and hope you get it. I want a discussion of ideas, tactics. I want real life, Lucian." His voice is soft and genuine as he speaks. "I'm sorry if I offended you with discussion of it here but I thought this was the place."
Lucian leans back against the wall, sighing with frustration. "Fox, I'm not sure how else to say this, but we're not friends. Outside of this room, or dueling events, I'm not here to help you. I thought you understood that. You want to learn in here, fine. I'll give you the same help I'd give anyone here. But out there?" He gestures toward the door, "You're still the cocky wanker that tried to take Ria from me. I'm trying to leave that out there, but you're making it difficult."
Ripley gives a shake of his head, "Still hanging onto that? You won. You got her. I moved on." He folds his arms across his chest, "I don't care about being friends Lucian. I'm trying to learn and better myself for the future. If you want to keep holding onto that hate then go ahead. I'm past it." He looks around and chews on the inside of his cheek a bit, "I'll keep coming back here and learning. Thank you for the help. Let go of the bullshit." He says and pops off the wall and walks over and starts to practice his shield again.
Lucian rolls his eyes, growling after him, "I said I was trying to." Grumbling, he gets up to help some other members for a while. It's about ten minutes later that he wanders back to Ripley, arms crossed. "You knocked the shite out of the dummy that time. Good." He sighs, "Look, I don't like that there's bullshit between us. You're Slytherin, after all. It's just that you're asking for too much too fast. Just slow it down, alright? This kind of thing takes patience." Is he talking about dueling, or getting past their personal issues?
Ripley looks rather proud of the dummy going flying before he looks to Lucian and he can see by the smirk that what is coming will be smart ass, "I don't want to dance with you, Lucian. I just want to learn." He chuckles a bit and then his tone sobers and he turns to Lucian, "Look. We can keep hating each other for stuff in the past or move on and make each other better." He shrugs, "I can teach you how to fight with your fists?" He offers a hand out, "Bullshit over, yes?"
Lucian eyes the hand warily for a moment. But this is a place of honour, and hoping that Ripley is respecting that, he takes the hand. "Yes. But for the record, I'm not exactly a chump in a fistfight, either." He smirks with that arrogant pride Ripley is so used to seeing. Yeah, these two cocks will probably never stop crowing at each other.