Protofire Teaches

7/6/2011 
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Protofire Groove
Protofire strides along towards one of the practice areas quietly, his wings flipping under the banners draped over them. He was humming a tune, and, hearing voices, paused between the crystal trees to view the class currently going on.
Kneeling politely to one side of the class he is currently attending, Groove's attention appears to be riveted on the instructor who is speaking to the small group of students. His stillness is absolute, but his focus- maybe not so much, and his pale optics track Protofire's movements as he walks along behind the screening trees. It's not unusual to have one of the senior monks observing, but any break in the routine is potentially an interesting one.
Those older optics spot the slight waver of attention from the instructor, and a smile plays across Protofire’s' face. The instructor of course, spots the mech instantly and stands, gesturing for the students to show proper respect to the General. At that point, Protofire steps further into the glade "At ease. I am here only to observe our future in training." he explains, his optics turning back to Groove again.
Groove stands with the rest of the class, bowing respectfully. It's not that he's not always glad and a little excited to see the most-respected mech in the order- but why this class, and why this day- and is he looking at /Groove/?
The Instructor nods again "Ah well, examine and observe at your leisure. I was about to start pairing them up for exercises. " Protofire ahs "A good idea but you're one short of a couple. May I stand in for one of the pairings? " That got a bit of an excited stir. Who would end up facing off to him?
Groove holds perfectly still. Why is Protofire looking at /him/? He's neither the best nor the worst in this particular class- or most of his classes, for that matter- but the stillness of meditation and letting things happen in their own time has always come easily to him. He'll either be picked to face off with the General, or not. It would be a great honor and learning experience- but it would also mean being singled out among his classmates, not always a comfortable experience.
"If you desire General. I'm sure any student here would be happy to face off against you." notes the Instructor. 
Protofire smiles and nods to Grove simply "You are allowed to move you know." he notes, a little amused.
"Yes, General," Groove says, a bit breathily, nodding politely, trying to relax into the state of calm readiness that is the perfect mental state of the Crystalocution practioner.
"Excellent. " The instructor has them pair off, and Protofire moves to one side. He removes his banners to avoid them catching on things, stretching out his wings before relaxing them "What is your name, young sir?" he asks Groove casually
"I'm Groove, sir." The young mech isn't nervous - or if he is, he's concealing it expertly. His curiosity, however, he doesn't bother to hide, and his expression is quizzical as he studies the legendary most-senior mech of the Crys Guard.
Protofire smiles, nodding as he looks up the youth up and down. He pauses, considering something "Hmm. You know. Ah well, I've seen many transformers in my time. Groove it is then! Are you ready?" he asks, settling back into a stance, crouching rather low due to the size difference.
Groove bows politely. "Ready when you are, sir," He says, adopting a defensive ready stance.
"Very well then. Here we go." notes Protofire. He pauses, staring at Groove a moment, before moving forwards - a little slower than his usual blurring speed as he tossed a knife hand to the mechs' shoulder.
Groove is ready, and dodges the knife hand with a fairly comfortable margin, not blocking but simply flowing away from the blow into another stance. He does not, however, retaliate with a blow of his own, but waits to counter Protofire's next move, balancing, almost bouncing, on his toe components.
"Aha, well done." approves Protofire as he twists, one wing swinging out at head-height, not above using his extra limbs for attacks. After all, enemies would have no qualms...
Groove dodges the wing-strike as well, although the margin is a bit smaller as he was primarily watching the larger mech's torso and hands. Again, he launches no attack of his own, returning to his original ready position, air flowing smoothly through his vents.
"Always watch all of an Opponent. Transformers are not always four limbed." advises Protofire with another approving nod as he swoops in once more, his hands arcing around each other, before a foot swings out to hook-trip the younger mech's ankle.
Groove nods in response, but his ankle is hooked from behind and he stumbles, catching himself as he shifts his weight onto the back foot of his careful stance. He lets the sweep hook his foot forward and bounces up again to come into a third waiting stance a bit nearer to Protofire, a hint of a smile showing on his faceplates
Another nod, and a smile of his own. This time Protofire started to press Groove harder, a jab coming in from the side more quickly now, aiming for the gap between the upper torso and hips "on your guard!"
Grove was expecting a strike this time, and slides with the blow, dancing away from it so that it pings off his armor rather than connecting with the critical point vulnerable through the gap in the armor. The smile fades, a little, as he focuses more intently on the combat in front of him.
Seeing that look, Protofire continues to press Groove back, darting in with hands and feet in rapid succession, his face starting to frown.
Finally he lunges forwards, a sudden attack that would, if successful, pin Groove to the tree behind him with an arm under his chin. 
Groove continues his quick, darting movements to glide away from the blows, deflecting some and avoiding others entirely, although his defense forces him backwards step by step until, faced with the sudden lunge, he stumbles, catching his heel on a stone at the base of the crystal tree and landing heavily against the trunk, pinned by Protofire's sudden lunge and hold.
Protofire holds him firmly, but not with intent to do more than rattle his circuits. He puffs a few times, and stares at Grooves' face from that close up point "You must remember that sometimes, you need to disable your opponent before he gets the one-up, and before he finds YOUR weakness. The sooner one is taken out, the sooner the entire fight is over." he explains, softly and patiently.
"Yes, General," Groove says. Pinned against the tree, he can't offer another bow, but he nods as much as he can. "Thank you for your instruction." His voice is soft, but sincere.
The mech nods and relaxes carefully, even helping Groove back to his feet. "You show a lot of talent, and you've a good optic for predicting an attackers' attacks. But I do want to see a little more assertiveness. Even if you never intend to use it, you WILL have to show that you know this to continue your training."
"Yes, sir." Groove accepts the hand up, standing up and shaking off the fall with a good-natured smile.
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