Should Have Walked Away | Aarmau Vampire AU

𝔱 𝔴 𝔢 𝔫 𝔱 𝔶 - 𝔱 𝔥 𝔯 𝔢 𝔢

The girl class went alright.

Like the men, there were some people with more potential than others, but in general, most of them did really well.

I guess it's because women have to work twice as hard to be seen as half a man.

"The redhead did pretty well. What's her name?" I questioned the men beside me.

Dante shrugged and Laurence responded, "I think it starts with a K?"

Nodding, I moved on. "Well regardless, she can punch quite well. Her footing is only off before she goes into a sprint, but other than that I'm excited to see her skills grow."

"And Malachi?"

"I'm training him tonight in a private session. The kid may be young but he seems like a fast learner and he has the determination a lot of guards lack. He can be Head Guard one day, I know it."

Dante shook his head with a smile that matched Laurence's. "Don't know how you can tell."

"Don't forget I was just like him," I shot a sidelong glance to the both of them and made my way down the stairs and into the training grounds.

I expected Malachi to be late as he was for training on the first night but was pleasantly surprised when he showed up a few minutes early.

He came down into the yard to find me laying on one of the long wooden benches that lined all the walls. I was humming a soft tune I've had stuck in my head for hours now, one that I tried not to forget so I could test it on the piano or guitar later on. My eyes were covered with my arm, but I could hear the brunet teenager coming.

Hesitating for a moment, the kid froze at my informality but decided against sitting or speaking. In the end, he stood still and stiff.

I lifted my arm and looked over, seeing his eyes widen as he looked away. Smiling, I moved to sit on the cobblestone and gravel flooring, motioning for him to join me. He did.

"Okay, kid. Let's talk."

Malachi's eyes never left me as he nodded, but I noticed an uncertainty in his posture.

Smiling slightly, I tried to ease his discomfort. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble. I just want to talk strategy and technique before we get down to the demonstrations."

His shoulders relaxed slightly and he nodded again, moving his hands to his lap and watching me attentively. I have to admit, his stare made me slightly unnerved; I'm still not used to people noticing me and watching my every move. I've traveled in shadow my whole life.

I brushed it off.

"Alright. Let's start with defense."

"The best defense is a good offense, right?"

Hesitation. "Well, yes. But you can't rely on only your offense, especially because your opponent could have a better offense than you." I put my hands up to map out a situation. "If there are two people in a fight, there has to be one person on offense and one on defense. If both are on defense," I moved my hands in a circle, "Then nobody lands a hit. If both are on offense," my hands came close together, knuckle to knuckle, "Then too many hits are landed and it becomes a mess, because nobody is even trying to protect themselves.

"Think only of your fists and body for a minute, no swords or weapons. You're in a fight against someone else, for now, let's just say they're your height, age, and weight. They go on offense and manage to put you in a chokehold. What do you do?"