Beckham flinched as he heard Alianor say his name. Immediately his body language changed - his muscles went from controlled to contracted, his back straightening sharply and his eyes widened. He glanced to Alianor, then back to the spot he had previously been watching over. He waited a few seconds before he figured that Alianor probably wouldn't go away if he simply ignored her, and so he forced himself to relax a little and turn to face her. [b]"Dick."[/b] he said, frowning. His eyes then widened again, and he looked at Alianor. His voice was bright, but clearly interlaced with a nervous quiver. [b]"N-not you, I mean. Ronan. He's a dick. But... I already said that. I... yes, I can teach you to fight if you'd like me to. Did Ronan tell you I was a Vigilant? He probably did. He likes telling people things about me without my permission. I can... ah..."[/b]

Beckham turned on his heel swiftly, taking a moment to breathe. He closed his eyes. Then he spun around once more. [b]"I would have thought you'd ask Kessah, since she's also... a lady. And terrifying. But I can teach you. When I was a Vigilant, we were taught how to control our bodies, see - it's a sort of... mind over matter... thing. Your body can move a lot faster, be a lot stronger, feel no pain... if you can control the subconscious part of your mind which tells you otherwise. For instance."[/b] Beckham held up his middle finger to Alianor's eyes. He kept it there for a moment, then hastily put it down and put up his forefinger instead, worried that the gesture may have been misconstrued as obscene. [b]"Your jaw is strong enough to bite through your finger about as easily as biting a carrot. But..."[/b] he put the finger in his mouth and chewed for a moment. [b]"You know instinctively not to do so. There's a survival instinct you can't just 'turn off' when convenient... unless you have training. The Vigil is the way of control - you master your body, and use it to defeat an opponent. Even someone twice your size, you can put down if you know how to move right."[/b]

Beckham looked at Alianor curiously for a moment. His eyes flicked towards her chest, for a split-second, then he began to stare back towards the camp. [b]"If you pick out the person you want to fight... if you've chosen anyone yet... I can tell you exactly how their muscles work and how to win. Except Gort, or Ronan... or Kessah. I swore an oath to Ronan. Gort... I haven't figured out yet... and Kessah scares the shit out of me."[/b]

He paused for a moment.

[b]"I think if you really want my help, you should show me how you would want to fight. There are some old mannequins which Kessah weighted to be like a real person, if you can see them over there."[/b] He pointed towards the training ground - there were indeed a few man-sized dummies there. [b]"If you would, just take one and show me how you'd want to fight someone. I can help if I know where you're starting from."[/b]