Apprenticeship

Posted on Sun Dec 15th, 2024 @ 15:12 by Hamish McClean & Andrew Hallows

Chapter: Besieged
Location: Avalon Institute
Timeline: Sunday 31st January
1323 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

The incident in New Cresthill had been playing on Hamish's mind for a couple of days. They hadn't resulted in sleepless nights or anything, but the young man was still playing through the events in his head. Wondering how things might have turned out differently, or how he might have had to respond to them. It was with consideration, then, that he found himself seeking out the new physical education teacher.

"Mr Hallows? I know it's not exactly lesson time, but I wondered whether I could talk to you about something?"

Hamish found Andrew sitting behind his desk in his office which was connected to the gymnasium, he was going over the upcoming lesson plan for the next week. He was also working on the plans to integrate self-defense classes into the regular physical education curriculum for the students as part of what Claire had wanted him to do.

Closing the planner, he was going over as he looked up to see Hamish at his door. "What can I do for you Mr. McClean? My door is always open to a student."

"Yeah." Hamish used up a few extra seconds to close the door behind him, trying to remember what his own request was. "It's a little unusual, but..." His face scrunched up a moment before he tried again. "The other day, I was out in the village with Mia. There were some guys that looked like they were going to stir up some trouble. And, well, I thought that things might escalate..." He shook his head, trying not to launch into a long tale. And certainly not one that might get Mia into trouble. "It crossed my mind with everything going on that if something bad were to happen...I guess I'd want to be prepared. Just to protect people. The other students, I mean..."

Unusual, my ass, the desire to protect the people you care about is a fairly common feeling, at least it was to Andrew. I mean he did join the military to do just that, protect his family, and to a lesser extent make them proud and carry on their legacy. He had been wondering how quickly one of the students would approach him and ask for training. His office held a few of his medals, awards and trophies from martial arts competitions on one tier of the bookcase behind him.

"Well, starting the second week of February, I will be giving introductory courses into Tai Chi and Hapkido. However, if you wish to learn more, I am sure that we can find additional times to meet." It was not his goal to take on a student, though this would align with what Claire had asked of him. He was already in the process of teaching his fellow faculty ways to as Al put it 'fold clothes with people still in them.' He looked at Hamish, "This will not be easy, and you may come to dread asking this of me." Being that he could effortlessly lift 400 lbs, he had to constantly consider how much power he put behind a punch, this would be a way for him to even further improve his control.

Hamish looked down at the desk a moment, then picked up a loose paperclip. Folding it neatly into a straight piece of wire, he flicked the improvised dart across the room, a perfect shot into the eye of someone in a picture frame on the wall. He looked back at the teacher again. "About fifty percent of the time I can hit that shot perfectly, without missing. The other fifty percent..." He sighed. "I want to learn how to do that every time, sir. I want to learn how to control it; to be able to feel confident in my power."

That was certainly an impressive ability to have, and he could already understand what Hamish was needing. "First, you owe me a picture frame." He said this with a slight smile on his face, he was mostly joking. Andrew would need to improvise a throwing target board, with targets of various sizes and locations. "Second, that was very impressive. And finally third, what you need to work on is both muscle control and accuracy." In his mind he was already formulating how to go about this training.

Hamish blushed slightly. "Y-yeah." He shrugged sheepishly. "I'm told that my powers work best when I'm confident and focused. And while I know that's something I understand and can try to work on, I also wanted to understand the practical elements; I can throw things, but if it came down to a scrap I think I need more than just the chance that this power will kick in. I'd prefer to know how to direct it, if that makes sense?"

Andrew nodded. "Well, with improved accuracy and learning control, this should boost your confidence. Which will improve your usage of your powers." He paused to think before speaking again. "With self-defense training, you will learn muscle control, meditation and confidence in yourself." He pulled out a schedule book. "We can either meet in the morning, before classes begin or in the afternoon after classes end. We should meet at least three days a week. Which do you prefer?"

"Yeah, yeah, maybe in the mornings? I'd like that," Hamish nodded. "I just...I wanted to make sure I wasn't actually hurting anyone. Just - defending myself. And others, you know."

He nodded. "We can definitely make that work. Another option is you can join me for my morning run, or we can meet after my run." He wasn't expecting an affirmative on the run. Especially, with the fact that Andrew ran 10k a morning, granted yes it was only around the school at this point, but it was still 10k. "If you wish to join me on the running, we can start out slow."

"Uh, maybe?" Hamish shrugged. He was less concerned with the cardio and more with the actual dexterity-based stuff. But then again, if the teacher was suggesting he needed it then it could be something he needed to consider. "Am I doing this for the right reasons, sir?"

Andrew took on a more serious look, after Hamish asked if he was doing this for the right reasons. "You wish to learn control of your powers to protect the people you care about?" He looked at the young man asking him for help. "You wish to learn this to defend yourself and others, that is a key aspect of self-defense, it isn't for causing damage without just cause? If this is the case, then you are doing this for the right reasons." Andrew had been a soldier, however, what many civilians didn't understand was that soldiers didn't go out looking for a fight, this was something he needed to make sure that Hamish understood.

"I guess." For Hamish, he was caught in second-guessing himself between the need to protect and a desire to be proactive. In some ways, learning the difference might be an even harder lesson. "I mean, uh, I'm willing to give it a shot, sir."

Andrew knew these would not be easy lessons for a youth who was not accustomed to it. His training in the martial disciplines was what made learning control so easy for him, not only had it helped with his anger, but it had also built his confidence in being able to do what needed to be done. "That is a good enough start, Mr. McClean." With luck Hamish would learn that desire to be proactive and the need to protect oft times worked hand in hand.

"Thank you, sir." Hamish shrugged awkwardly. Sensing that the conversation was at an end, he took a deep breath and excused himself. For some reason, he'd been nervous about making the request. Now he wondered if that would pale in comparison to actually training. Only time would tell for sure.