Airship Stowaway

Training Again

The next morning, after breakfast, Monmouth took the controls again. “Time to begin the training,” he said to Lawson, who nodded, and walked over to where Jo was sitting at the dining room table.

“If you’d like to meet me in the aft hold, in ten minutes, young master. Please wear loose clothing.”

Jo nodded her agreement, and Lawson walked off towards his own quarters, presumably to change. She hopped off the chair and went to her cabin, pulling her old robes out of the bag which Lopsang had given her on their last day together. Putting them on made her remember her training with Gansung. I wonder what training with Lawson will be like.

As she stepped into the aft hold, she had her answer. Lawson was standing, facing her, on a large mat which covered the metal floor of the hold. He was wearing saffron robes.

“I see that you are surprised by my attire. But it is easily explained. I, like you, spent time at the Potala Palace in my youth. And I, like you, was trained in certain… arts. By Gansung.”

Joanna’s jaw dropped even further. She struggled to regain her composure. “How—how did you know that I was trained by Gansung?”

“I saw him come to see you off. I know him. He would only do that for a pupil. And not just any pupil. So I knew that you must have shown some promise. How much, we shall see.”

And with that he closed the gap between them, attacking fast. Without thinking about it, Joanna dropped into a fighting stance, arms raised to defend herself, and side-stepped his charge neatly, moving onto her back foot, and darting her front foot out to trip Lawson up as he passed.

But Lawson pirouetted away, lifting his own foot up, so that hers passed harmlessly below. He continued to pivot on his other leg, bringing his raised foot speeding towards her head in a roundhouse kick. She dropped her stance, raising her right arm at an angle which lifted the approaching leg above her head, then she counter-punched, aiming for Lawson’s vulnerable back, as his momentum turned him away from her.

But he pulled his outstretched leg in again, speeding up his rotation, and, more quickly than she would have thought possible, spun completely around to block her blow with his forearm. She unleashed a flurry of blows in response, all of which were blocked, some quite decisively (and painfully).

Then Lawson commenced his counter-attack, and it was her turn to block. She managed to prevent any of the blows from landing, but she was forced to take a step backwards, and then another. Before long, she had stepped off the mat.

Lawson immediately stopped, and returned to the centre of the mat. She followed warily. He relaxed his stance, and smiled.

“You certainly have skill. I don’t think there is much I can teach you on the combat front. His lordship will be pleased.”

Joanna was pleased herself. And intrigued. His lordship, now. So Monmouth is a nobleman as well. How much more is there to learn about him?

Lawson walked with her to the hatchway. “You should probably get changed now. I’ll let his lordship know that he can continue your training himself.”

She nodded, heading for her cabin. Things were certainly becoming interesting.