En Garde
En Garde
[Two Cueball-like guys wearing fencing mask (with gray front over their faces and a strip around their neck) are standing facing each other. The left fencer holds one arm up behind him and the other with the rapier like sword pointing toward the right fencers mask, ready for fencing. The right fencer holds both arms, and thus also the sword, down.] Left fencer: En Garde! Right fencer: OK.
[In a large frame-less panel where they keep standing in the same position the right fencer talks at length.] Right fencer: No matter how long we know each other, when you ask "What are you thinking," Right fencer: I will always pause before answering.
[Same as the first panel, although the left fencer has lowered the point of his sword so it points straight to the right.] Left fencer: Maybe a little less guarded? Right fencer: No way. I've been hurt before.

Two Cueball -like guys are preparing to fence. But only the left seems ready. He says "en garde!", hence the title, a fencing call literally meaning "be on your guard" (from French). The call is used to order the participants to take their position, in a similar way to the “on your mark” command in racing. The other two commands are “[tireurs, êtes-vous] prêts?” (“[combatants, are you] ready?”) and “allez” (“go”). The right participant takes this to mean being "guarded" emotionally.
"What are you thinking?" is a common question used to deepen a conversation, typically between close friends or lovers. The person being asked may take a moment to consider what they are thinking and whether or not it would be appropriate to share with the asker. If the person being asked is emotionally comfortable with the asker, they may answer immediately without fear of judgment or ridicule. Such a level of comfort between two people generally takes a long time to develop.
After the right fencer has explained why he is always "en garde", the left fencer asks if could be a little less so. But the answer is no since the right fencer acknowledges that he has been hurt before, and thus makes it even more difficult for him to let down his guards. Obviously the right fencer has had bad experience from previous relationships, maybe one where he was ridiculed after sharing his immediate thoughts.
The title text takes this further with the "touch" call, used to indicate to a participant that they have been "touched" by their opponent's blade, and therefore the attacker receives a point. The right participant counters this claim by saying his emotions have "priority" (or right-of-way), implying he was blocking out ("parrying") the touching feelings. Fencing right-of-way rules can make a move invalid when another move has priority, but generally refer to physical actions on the participant's part.
[Two Cueball-like guys wearing fencing mask (with gray front over their faces and a strip around their neck) are standing facing each other. The left fencer holds one arm up behind him and the other with the rapier like sword pointing toward the right fencers mask, ready for fencing. The right fencer holds both arms, and thus also the sword, down.] Left fencer: En Garde! Right fencer: OK.
[In a large frame-less panel where they keep standing in the same position the right fencer talks at length.] Right fencer: No matter how long we know each other, when you ask "What are you thinking," Right fencer: I will always pause before answering.
[Same as the first panel, although the left fencer has lowered the point of his sword so it points straight to the right.] Left fencer: Maybe a little less guarded? Right fencer: No way. I've been hurt before.
