Yat, yee, saam, say!

Jul 16th, 2013 11:50 AM

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff94/Sabeleth/Edge%20of%20Darkness/74281c63-1ef0-47fc-9b34-e25d01f1eff3_zps93a6dc1f.jpg

The all-night gym had become a familiar place for Callum McCann. He still planned to open his own school, but that was still a ways off in the future at this point. For the moment he appreciated the fact that he could walk to this place, it was quiet, and occasionally he could pick up a hottie for a drink or two...

He turned up 15 minutes before his training partner was scheduled to arrive. Cal always liked to get in a bit of quiet training time, plus there were a few exercises he liked to keep to himself, but that really got him going. Tiger claw chi gung. Iron wire. Ten killing hands. The kind of stuff you didn't scare a newbie with.

Once that was complete he switched his focus to a bit of circuit training while he waited for his guest.

**Catherine Keyes** · Jul 20th, 2013 08:18 AM

Catherine arrived precisely four minutes early, like she had expected the deputy was already there; however, instead of disturbing the Daeva in his motions she took the time to watch.

His motions were clean enough, but then Catherine wasn’t trained in anything other than dance; and from that perspective they were practiced and fluid, in the case of her Beast it was reacting like it usually did: the sound of moving feathers and shifting scales just beyond the reach of her mortal senses -- but all to present in her supernatural ones. Thankfully her Beast was hidden from her companion, such a thing was too improper in her own mind.

At T-minus-two minutes she took the steps forward. “Mister McCann, Go raibh baith agat. Thank you for meeting with me.”

Jul 23rd, 2013 12:53 PM

Cal finished the final movement of the form he'd been working on then stood up out of his stance with a fluid, practiced, motion. Hi smile was warm and friendly enough. The beast was quiet thankfully, due to Catherine's talent at hiding her own. "Good evening Ms Keyes, it's good to see you again. Glad you could come." He offered a hand by way of greeting, before gesturing to the floor space.

"Best to begin at the beginning. I like to warm up with Chi Gong before beginning a class. If you're ready we can get started, just follow me, and maybe you can give me a run down of your abilities and what you want to get out of this." He gave another smile and waited for her to confirm she was fine with that before moving anywhere.

**Catherine Keyes** · Jul 25th, 2013 07:45 AM

Catherine smiled, “Warming up is always good, it gets the blood flowing.” It was something of a joke, not a good one but still fairly obvious. She nodded, “I am a dancer, so there is strength and grace that goes with that; however it has been pointed out to me, in no uncertain terms, that I have very little luck actually defending myself. That is what I am hoping to learn; a better way of defense. Also a little strength never hurt anyone.” She spoke as she took his hand in a firm handshake.

"I hope you can help me with that."

Jul 25th, 2013 11:09 AM

He grinned at her attempt at humour. It was the kind of thing he'd taken to doing himself of late. "Very true, just try not to get out of breath okay?" See, two can play the lame joke game. "A dancer huh? That's good, means you've got a sense of timing, and your breathing patterns should be solid. No seriously, that's important." He remembered a few of their fellow Kindred seeing to think he was mad going on about focus on breathing. Their loss.

"I can certainly teach you the basics of how to defend yourself and develop your strength Ms Keyes. The question is how far you want to take it. Are you just looking for the basics, which I'm happy to teach you, or do you want to go further? Are you looking for a Master-Student relationship or just some friendly advice? I'm happy either way, but if it's the latter I'd rather know now is all." He gave an encouraging smile. His own journey through the martial arts had been more challenging than most anyone had to deal with these days. It wasn't that he was planning to have her sit in horse stance facing a wall for hours of every day, more that he was interested to know what she really wanted out of all this. There was training, and then there was training.

**Catherine Keyes** · Jul 28th, 2013 07:56 AM

Catherine bounced her eyebrows at him, there was a lewd joke in there somewhere just itching to come out.

Seriousness beat it to the punch.

“I am not yet sure, Mister McCann. Learning is a commitment, but I have no desire to commit to anything I do not know where it is going, where it is starting or where it is ending.” She crossed her wrists simply before her.

“Teacher-Student relationships are easy enough to com by, but in certain circles,” she looked him dead on and gave the words just enough of an emphasis that he should understand her insinuation, “such words are more than even I could commit to. However, if you would let me take you for a test drive, just to see if I like it...”

Aug 3rd, 2013 02:04 AM

Callum grinned at her. It wasn't predatory, just genuine amusement. Maybe he'd seen something in her eyes that hinted at the humour she'd almost expressed.

"You know in the old days, if you wanted to learn the main style I practice, you'd spend your first three years doing one stance. Now that's commitment." He watched her body language, placing his hands behind his back. "For myself I spent a lot of time cleaning floors and standing in that stance facing a wall."

His right hand swept forward slowly, turning palm up. "It takes a certain kind of stubbornness and mental fortitude to progress to the upper levels in any martial art. Some are prepared for that from the very beginning, other come to realise it with time, and hopefully not too many mistakes along the way. In any case, teaching is a partnership, and I'm not about to ask more than you're willing to give."

Both hands swept out to the side. "So, the engine's running, let's see if you want more of what I've got?"

**Catherine Keyes** · Aug 6th, 2013 07:35 AM

“Commitment is something that I take highly, Mister McCann; but even so, I still have a Gypsy’s blood running through my veins. A nomad to a point.” Instead of commenting further she just watched, body language it was fascinating.

“One week, a trial, this Test Drive.” she said lifting an arm and finger to her eye level. “It would not be the same as three years, I am afraid.”