Paul
"Well, I certainly have seen better days." The old master chuckled, with a resigned weariness that he made no attempt to hide. "Been working myself to the bone coordinating with the Knights in regards to various matters, and I'm certainly not as energetic as I once was... But worry not, I wouldn't have accepted if I thought I was unable to do the best I could."

The veil of exhaustion suddenly peels away for a brief moment, as his eyes sharpen.

 "After all, is that not the obligation of a master?" 

The gravity in that statement punctuated, he continued.

"Well, lets not tarry! Though, the young man over there seems to be thinking quite intently, so I shan't bother him right now." Kohm nodded at Ah Lean with understanding. "So, I suppose you know how to use a sidesword, eh? You have professed that you are rusty, but how good are do you think you currently are? And from whom did you learn your skills from?"

Though there was quite the barrage of questions, Kohm seemingly knew how to pace them- there was always a pause of just the right length in between, giving Akasha ample time to internalise his questions.
Sarah
"I'm a vocator - not much of a physical fighter myself." *Arlean said, stepping forward toward the master.* 

Kohm seem to be talking about sidesword and martial arts - so he decided to also introduce himself. 

"I've not had any real combat experience, but spent some time in the academy sparring and occasionally sparred my own summons when bored - I've learnt basic polearm techniques mostly from one of my Kuilei contract, and an instructor at the academy... I only know how to use my focus staff properly." 

He wondered what Kohm could teach him - he is after all, a mage, and this man looked like a martial artist of some sort. There's no point for him to learn so many polearm combat technique... Or is there?
Michelle
*It's an admirable sight for her, how Kohm is able to say that with a very convincing tone, even when he is not in his best condition. She suppose that is simply thanks to the 'air of master' he possesses. To respect his readiness, she erased the worry in her eyes and changed it into a determination of learning.*

"Ah." *She smiled when Kohm mentioned Arlean.*

"I'm.. Not entirely sure." *She said hesitantly. While she has tried to execute a few manoeuvres with it lately, she hasn't wielded her sword against other people at all to get a grasp on how much her skills have deteriorated. A flush crept on her cheek, thinking at how embarrassing it is that she didn't even think to test her skills first before coming here.*

"But I think I can fare against someone with the skill of an ordinary knight. Maybe not a knight from our Order, though. *Not yet.*" *She said, almost whispering those last words.*

"My swordsmanship.." *She paused.*

*Akasha's eyes creased. It looks like she wanted to add something to her words, but struggled to weigh whether it'd be better to say it or not. Kohm has graciously set aside his time to teach them, and it would be impolite of her to abstain from saying anything that would help him in doing so.*

"My surname at birth is Adalsteinfostre." *She finally stated.*

"My swordsmanship is taught by my father, Sir Rostam Adalsteinfostre. My brother had also taught me swordsmanship of the late Grand Master Vollhardt. He is one of his pupils.. I believe my brother has met you in the past."

*Akasha seems to expect that Kohm would recognize those names, even without an explanation. It's quite a common knowledge – at least in the Middle Mentian martial community, after all.*
Paul
"Loathe I am to admit, I do indeed have little idea myself if you are uncertain." Kohm freely admitted without reservations. "Afterall, I did not have sufficient time to properly plan due to the harried nature of the arrangement."

This was doubly true for Ah Lean, whose inclusion was very much done at the eleventh hour in quite a literal sense. Had there been an extra day, perhaps two, Kohm would have had enough notice to come up with something more concrete. 

As it stood he simply knew too little to formulate one.

"Hmm... Would you be fine if you followed along with the flow of the lesson for now?" Kohm stated seriously, gauging Arlean's response. "It's good to get exposure to different systems, and perhaps you may discover an interest you weren't aware of initially. Even if not, I promise to arrange something different for you in the next few days."

"Adalsteinfostre..." Kohm's eyes flickered in surprise before homing onto her face. "Well, my eyes must be going at this age, indeed- I should have noticed that you carried his eyes earlier..." He shook his head resoundedly, as he snorted with self-mirth.

"Regardless, this coincidentally does make things easy for me. Firstly though, pray tell how your father is doing, currently?"
Michelle
*Akasha's lips curved into a half-smile at his response upon hearing her surname. Peculiarly, there seems to be a hint of bitterness in her visage when Kohm stated that they possess the similar kind of eyes. Whether it was out of self-realisation or not, the girl swept the signs of that kind of emotion away from her face, as swiftly as it appeared.*

"I do not know." *She answered. Heaviness can be discerned in her tone.*

"Forgive me, but we seldom speak with each other. He is currently stationed in the stronghold bordering East Mentia, as I recall." 

*She pursed her lip tightly after that, adding nothing more to the answer. Her gaze wanders to the side, avoiding the master's eyes. It's no doubt that the story contains more than that, nevertheless, she doesn't appear to be very keen in divulging more than what she already spoke of.*
Sarah
*Arlean listened in from the side - as a mage, he felt very much sidelined in this whole conversation. But it mattered not.*

*He now learnt that Akasha has an estranged father, and it seems... A family name that sounded quite different. He has no idea who is this Adalsteinfostre person or family lineage, but it seems to be quite prominent.*

"Perhaps I'll just follow along and learn about sword fencing. I heard sword take years to master, so perhaps we could focus on the most basic technique to defend myself." 

"After all, when push come to shove, I suppose I can be a half decent fighter" *Arlean patted his chest and knocked his fist against the exoskeleton covering him*
Paul
Quick did his mirth come, and quick did it leave his face.

"Ah, I see." Kohm nodded with solemnity.

"So..." Making no more mention of his previous question, the topic quickly shifted back on track.

"Is there any specific area you would you like to work on?"

Kohm hummed as he put a finger to his chin, rubbing it as his eyes shifted across Arlean's frame and exoframe.

"Well, you do have a solid frame, so might as well put that to use, eh?" Kohm joked. 

"Quite an astute observation." A hint of approval entered his eyes. "If you are interested and willing, I can give a crash course on just that- a few techniques to defend yourself with. It will not be anywhere close to the complete system, but a mere fragment divorced from the full meaning. Still, given the span of time we have it'll be sufficient to defend yourself with, if worse were to come to worse. Does that sound good?"