Getting physical

[Martha Villiers]

The 24 hour Fitness Center offers a promise of a longer and healthier life.

Advertisements adorn the walls trying to persuade people on the merits of the latest special offers on healthy supplements to gain mass...for isotonic water and snazzy gym wear.

Martha felt she wasn't alone in wondering how much of all this it was snake-oil.

But, she was fully committed to the genuine changes and improvements the gym could help bring about.

Cheerful and professional staff offer a cheerful and professional greeting to any who enter the lobby.

The main areas of the gym are neatly carpeted. Decorated in subtle shades and the muted sound of shiny gymnasium equipment in motion can be heard.

Locker rooms, showers...sauna...main work-out room. All are carefully signposted. A dozen or so well shaped Mortals wander between locations with the confidence of the strong. Towels draped boldly over their wide shoulders - almost as a badge of their work-out.

Over in Studio B the Herald is happily expecting to meet and greet those who wished to attend.

Helped by Dillon she is working to help lay down wide blue foam crash mats on the clean floor. Carefully they place the mats to form a wider square pattern in the improvised dojo.

Martha, with her Blush of Life on for the benefit of the Mortals, is dressed neatly in her gymslip, a simple white cotton blouse and her hair neatly tied with red ribbons into two twin tails. Her long gymslip stops at mid calf. In deference to the dojo status of the studio she is barefooted. Having left her simple black shoes by the door. Her hat and blazer are neatly folded over the sports bag resting on the floor at the side of her shoes. Her cane rests on top of the bag too.

At the floor by the side of the crash mats nearest the door are a dozen rubber practice tanto knives and a dozen white ash bokken. All lined up neatly and carefully.

Tiny Martha smiles cheerily to Dillon as once again they move the last of the crash mats into place to finish the larger square of the training space. Straightening up to stand, she rubs hard at her back and hip and nods as she checks the geometry of the matting...a glance is offered to Dillon as if to confer with him to see if they have missed anything.

She quickly checks the time on the clock on the wall over the door as they await the arrival of any Domain Kindred who might wish to train.

[[OOC: the tanto - http://www.foxairsoft.com/Cold-Steel...fe-p/31689.htm ]]

[AlphaStrike]

Zach was at the gym just after sundown, taking this night for the chance to leave planning behind and just play with the other Kindred of the Domain. It was also a chance to dress down, and Zach left his suit behind for tonight. He spent only a half-hour at the punching bags, remembering his boxing training from decades ago. It felt good to pummel something with his fists. Zach remembered that he had partly trained in boxing for the utility, but also for the catharsis he got from beating something senseless. Making something relent. Showing it who was boss. His beast hooted with enthusiasm as he let his violent side come out, his face sliding from cool and composed to angry with a hint of evil. He pummeled the bag harder and harder, remembering the events in the eve of his mortal life and the beginning of his Requiem that pushed him to violence. The anger, the betrayal, the loss. He felt it clearly, tied into his memory, which was uncompromising. The detail never faded. He would remember for the rest of his unlife.

The tearing of the bag brought him back to reality. Zach stopped, surprised. The layers of tape and material had started to shred, from years of beatings. Zach put his arms down, relaxed his fists. Other patrons of the establishment were staring. Zach felt stupid, letting himself go in the moment. It wasn't a thing done in the Invictus.

Zach took a break, and saw the Herald and Deputy Connery arrive. He was done with his warm-up, even though it was a silly thing he still carried over from his mortal days. Amazing how personal habits like that persisted, even in the face of the beast. He followed the two Kindred into the room, and greeted both respectfully, but quietly, almost a whisper. Zach didn't know how safe this place was.

"A most productive evening to you, Herald, Priscus. How safe is the First Tradition here?"

[Martha Villiers]

The arrival of the new Beast always causes at least a small shiver in her spine.

Martha shared a happy smile with Dillon (@Wolven Pryde) and then looked to the opening door. With a sense of de ja vu from February, offered a genuine and happy smile and dipping a standard bow to Zach to offer an Oriental style greeting to establish the sense of the dojo.

Replying in a gentle whisper to Zach, she smiles; "Ah, just to remove doubt, sir: we aren't here for our regular LARP evening, sir!" she chuckles happily, "Miss Villiers will suffice for the evening here, sir! We aim for a certain degree of informality when away from our LARP setting, sir, and a strict avoidance of alarming the civilians!" she adds with a happy smile and a very careful nod...a nod loaded with gentle and hopefully instructive meaning.

[Chris Wooding]

As promised, Chris and Allison arrive on the first gym meeting there is after they heard about it. The Mekhet is quite excited about this, the Herald is here, and Dillon! Could this be an occasion to positively impress them a bit? At least he would show them he is not worthless. And about Allison Black , in all honestly he has always been wondering if she can fight. Of course, girls with good looks don't always need to be combat monkeys.

Chris has his sports bag with him, in it are his own wooden katana and the right clothes. However, for now he is dressed in a tank top and jogging pants. He is not sure how the evening would go, but it is always good to be prepared for everything.

'Now, before you show all your secret Jackie Chan powers, I must warn you, I do need legs to drive you back again.' Chris winks to the stunning Daeva while holding the door open for her.

Blush of Life active - we're almost inside

Chris

I'm probably the only one who cares, but this was all I could find Ignore Katrina Scherbotsky

[Allison Black]

Allison winks at Chris as he opens up the door for her and she steps out. She is wearing black yoga pants, a light gray sports-bra, and a darker gray tee that has the words "Love Makes Me High" on the back. Her hair is up, and she is carrying a overly large purse of random crap she thought she may need that she picked up from Sports Authority.

"I will go easy..." She smirks as she scrunches her nose, walking into the gym.

Allison

[Dillon Connery]

Dillon is mostly silent as preparations are made for the evening. He always has a word or a smile for Martha, of course, but he isn't exactly overflowing with them at the moment. He is dressed in a gray tank top, displaying shoulders that are powerful and broad, even without stirring the blood. Black running pants and split-toe socks round out his muted attire. Also worth mentioning, another duffel near the training knives, that is open, letting a few bokken peek out. Extras, just in case others wanted to join in when Dillon and/ or Chris put in some sword practice and instruction. One of them is noticeably different... it is shorter, straighter, and has seen much, much more use.

Though he is loathe to break the tone of Dojo that the little Herald conveys with her respectful bow, he feels the need to gently assist the Masquerade. Throwing his arms out widely as he gets near Zach and Martha, almost like he's going to scoop them into a hug, the Beast stalking within him growls angrily. But it's met Zach, at least. Adopting a cheerful smile, he laughs slightly. "Yeah, no Dungeons and Dragons talk at the gym. Seriously. If either of you brought dice, you'll be the first to get submitted." A wink punctuates the sentence.

Three hellhound noses turn when they eventually sense Allison's approach. Threatening wickedly, before Dillon pulls the thing to heel. Though they've encountered each other several times, the Beast is always active. It wants nothing more than to devour every pound of pretty Daeva flesh, and pick its triple sets of teeth clean on her splintered bones.

Now, that's just rude.

Silencing the thing again, Dillon is ready to offer a friendly, lopsided smile when the others arrive.

[Chris Wooding]

After walking inside and with more Kindred soon following, Chris can't help but to be a bit excited. He doesn't fight around other vampires a lot, okay, he duels every now and then with sometimes a better ending than the other times. Yet when it comes to actual fighting, the Vala has more often fought with Kindred's minions, snake like ghouls, bloody dogs.

This of course, is just training.

He smiles at everyone, giving Dillon and Martha a nod as a greeting. 'Good evening. A promising evening I see, with so many attendees already.'

[AlphaStrike]

Zach got the hint from "Miss Villiers" and "Dillon". He would keep it mortal.

Zach turns to Miss Villiers and says "So...what's the plan? Do we just start beating on each other?"