Training Day

[Seraphina]

The gym had been the one she went to with Quick. It was rundown and discrete, hardly anyone was there. It was open 24/7 and she began going to get in good with the owner. It wasn’t hard, given her looks and voice.

Soon, she was able to get one of the back rooms set aside for her and Fawkes. On one of the slow nights, and with a door that could lock, it fit what they needed.

She sent him a text with the time and address, arriving early to stretch. Today she was in black sweat pants and a white tank top, her long hair braided off to the side.

The bruise was going away, it was a nice mixture of green and yellow now. But was still tender and not going to stop her from getting better.

Sitting by the door was a large box, which held a gift for him. She hoped he’d like it, she was taking a shot in the dark, but felt confident. Kinda.
Fawkes Krakenbox

[Fawkes]

Fawkes enters the gym once he finishes his smoke, a little more stiff than usual with his hands in the pockets of his joggers. His thumb snaps against one of his glass beads as he fills out a waiver at the front desk, flatly rejecting membership packages without emotion until the trainer loses his nerve and leaves him be.

His shoulders stop hitching when he enters the private space, slipping off the heel of the worn runner with the toes of the other. The Elemental's gaze is as sharp and bright blue as ever as he cracks out the joints of his fingers, nodding at Sera,

"How's it healing? Please be honest. I need to measure what we're doing."

If she says 'perfectly fine!' he was going to run her into the ground with stamina conditioning. Not wasting her time, but not rewarding anymore martyr complex for her perfect image.

[Seraphina]

Straightening from stretching, she smiles with a shrug,

“Not going as fast as I would like. The bruising’s gone down, but it’s still tender if I move certain ways. I’ve been trying to work on stretching it, get that spot moving, but it’s stubborn.” She’d been trying.

“How’ve you been?” asks the Nix before gesturing to the box, “That’s for you. That night at the laundry mat, you left your clothes. And I added some of the coffee you liked from the coffee shop, plus some tea that I think you might like. If you don’t that’s ok. Oh! And in case you didn’t have a coffee maker, there’s a French press and a tea pot.” The coffee, tea and various devices were wrapped in clear cellophane in a black basket. The clothes were neatly folded beside it.

[Fawkes]

She...made him a gift basket? He blinks, unsure on what to say and unconsciously chews a nail as he leans to take a closer look while she rattles off the contents.

"Um. Thank you, that's really nice of you," he wished he could sound more excited, so he starts pulling out the items to try and convey his interest more clearly as he examined them. He chuckles. "I'd totally forgotten about the laundry." It was baffling she kept the clothes for that long.

"Stretching won't speed the healing," he says with a shrug, "Damaged soft tissue just needs time. We can focus on legs. The better your posture, the less strain on your core. No one had any Goblin Fruit to fix that?" Not that he was worried, Seraphina was clearly fit.

He eyes the ladder structure and starts alternating between pull-up and push-ups to get his heart rate up.

[Seraphina]

While she was used to people sounding happier, she’d take what she could get. He never struck her as the emotional type. “To be honest, I kind of did as well. I was moving, and came across them and figured I better get them back to you.” Her memory wasn’t something she was proud of.

“I figured after the first couple days, but I can’t stay still, I have to move. Especially after being made to stay in bed and rest.” Being still brought back too many memories. “So I was slowly getting back into a gym routine.” A soft laugh. “I actually didn’t think to ask about Goblin Fruit. With Nana being gone, I wasn’t sure if anyone had any.” There was a shrug.

Legs? She wasn’t sure how that would help with fighting, but, this was his show. As he does his thing, she begins to stretch her legs. “Have you trained anyone before?” she asked, curious.

[Fawkes]

Fawkes nods, dropping from the structure after he finished three sets in rapid succession.

"Did you warm up yet?" he asked as she stretched. He assumed due to her movements, but he had learned his lesson about assuming. There's a loud crack of joints as he swings out his legs, touching his hand to the top of his foot. He starts moving into a series of slow and controlled sweeping kicks, and it becomes apparent he is targeting the notch that is his eye level, surprisingly nimble as he hitches at his hip to get a full extension for side-kicks.

At her question he pauses for a moment, "Hm? Yeah. Military on both sides of the coin," he said, referencing before and after a time in Arcadia. "Tactician, mostly. But drills are easy."

He blinks and gestured to the white board, "Want me to write it out?" Some people preferred the medium over having to remember, and Fawkes knew he had a harsh tone when training. She could make her own adjustments.

The Marines weren't the best at instilling healthy motivation tactics among their ranks, and the Elemental was just as clueless until someone was crying, puking, or storming out.

[Seraphina]

Pulling her leg up behind her, “I got here early and did.” The foot was dropped and the other picked up, though not as high as the other.

Blinking, “Oh, wow. That’s pretty damn amazing.” The respect evident in her voice. “You’re an asset to this Freehold.” Her tone earnest.

Sapphires look to the white board and she shakes her head, “I’ve always learned best by watching and doing. It was how I was first trained, though that was against Gentry without any skills in fighting.” She says with a musical laugh. And she was either rusty as hell, or just really that bad. Either could be fixed with time.

The Treasured wasn’t sure what to expect, but she did know one thing. She was there to learn, and she would. There was nothing like a determined Fairest.

[Fawkes]

"Thanks, so are you." Fawkes thought about it, deciding against endurance with her injury.

"Okay. We'll start with four-counts," he tilts his head, "We're not going to focus on speed, just technique. It's actually a lot harder to land a kick properly when you're moving slowly. Develops muscle memory for when it matters."

The Elemental moves into a proper stance with his feet shoulder-width apart. He nods his head to the far wall, "Front kick, both ways. Stay on the same leg, switch when we change direction." He lets her set the distance she needs to hit him properly.

Once Sera starts moving, he keeps pace, keeping count and watching her technique. "What do you mean by 'trained against Gentry'?" The idea sounded ridiculous, though his tone doesn't betray the feeling.

[Seraphina]

So was she? The Nix had a difficult time buying into that one. But says nothing.

There was a nod of her head when each point was made. Muscle memory.

Sapphires watch as her feet move to mirror what he was doing. Looking down, she adjusts her feet, then looks to the wall. Distance was judged, then altered when needed.

Her technique was a little off at first, but improved a bit over time. When corrections were given, it was obvious the Nix listened and tried to implement them. The concentration clear on her face.

“Oh. It was something I was being trained to do. When my Keeper wanted to show off, I was brought out to perform, then expected to mingle to make him look good. But if it was a rival, or someone he viewed as a rival, I was expected to use my voice to weaken them, then eliminate them. No one expects the gilded songstress, so most had their guard down. If death wasn’t what he wanted, it meant find secrets or way to ruin the rival. If I was successful, I was spared.” She says it all nonchalantly with a shrug. Then focuses back on the kicks.

[Fawkes]

Fawkes mentions once or twice for her to slow down a bit, having her shed the normal temptation to move at a natural pace so her muscle starts working overtime. The Treasured's basic knowledge of martial arts makes for an easy transition once the awkwardness is over and done with.

"You remember all that?" Fawkes says once she shares her story. There isn't indication of surprise, but a subtle inflection and her familiarity with the Elemental reveals the question rather than cold disbelief. Like all but the most learned of Lost, Fawkes didn't know much about the Keepers. He wondered if Sera was simply attacking aspects of the Gentry in a sick mind game. "Spared? I guess you never failed, then. Rough expectation to live with." It was a matter-of-fact statement. He wasn't sure about just leaving the question hanging without more comment.

He models a turning kick, breaking it into two parts where she would have to balance for an uncomfortable moment before releasing the torque. They followed the same routine with the count and a round on each leg.