Martial tutelage at the boxing gym

[Helen Kingsley]

Helen has decided to give the place another visit to see if there's more folks on other nights. Doesn't seem to be the case, place is still pretty dead. However, there are a few figures that sound pretty familiar. As she enters, she can see they also look kinda familiar. Well, well... As per looking at the scene, one of those two also feels familiar. Fun, no ?

Thus, she enters the main room and puts her gym bag away on the side. Wanna play the multi-purpose party game 'stranger danger,' kids ?

"Hey Galina, who's your friend ? Training partner for tonight ?"

She starts doing some warming up and stretches a little.

[Galina]

Sighing.
"Me neither, I know a bit here and there but keeping them apart is just no, my father had a shrine so I made one for him to honor him." The importance behind it or the weight not lost on her but the extent that was still a mystery, besides she knew just how many spirits were around them, she could commune with them which kind of threw a lot of religious stuff to the side. "Religion overall is so often misused, no reason to fall into pit traps of greedy men who just utilize it for money and control." Weighing her head left and right for a moment in though. "Something like that, a little wooden shrine, some incense, and pictures, a place to remember, to light some incense and think about him." And maybe appease his spirit in some distant manner. "Whilst I would like to give my biological ass of a father a punch to the face so do I think it is best to just ignore him. I might get a message of his death one day, I might not, more interest than that I do not have." And she would likely not attend his funeral for that matter.

A look down at her own hands, a glimmer of red shining upon them before her eyes, especially by the nails.
"It does, each time we do not give in it gets easier and easier. Each punch we receive less prone to call upon angerful desperation, each moment a lesson to ourselves." Shaking her hands for a brief moment. "So do keep working on it, it is a good thing to keep in mind."

Trying to give a light smile but failing to do more than just slightly move the corners of her lips.
"I shall, as said I am a stubborn one so I will keep working on it until I reach it. But there are other matters more pressing first." Friends and stop being so shy all the time would help a lot more. "I actually taking classes, I might have mastered a couple of styles back home but I do want to master a few more to cover my every aspect, to make my own mixed martial arts style." True some of it was private instructors for well safety of the others though.

Pulling back at the thud with a genuinely impressed look upon her.
"Whoa well done, keep going like that you can do this." Looking a bit ashamed at the comment of her shout. "I am sorry, it, no I am sorry." Not wanting to try and defend her actions. "Yes go ahead, do not forget this feeling."

A look over as the door opened to see the blonde woman enter and get settled in.
"Hello defeater of giants, how are your wounds healing? Feeling better now?" How long does it take for humans to heal those kinds of damage? It had been so long that it was hard to recall. "My friend yes, we are just doing a few exercises, I don´t think I caught your name last time." A look over at Verity, not wanting to give out her name without consent. "You should see this woman fight, she knocked down a giant right in the ring here, some truly inspiring motions. Probably the only one I have met here that would force me to take it seriously to make my victory a 50/50."

[Verity Carmen]

So yeah it was some custom or another. "Does that feel odd at all? I don't mean to pry but performing a religious practice you don't fully understand because someone you respect did it?" In the age of advancing atheism such practice by proxy was falling away and attendance numbers told the tale across large swaths of the world, but Verity had never asked someone who actually did it. "I mean this politely, But I don't really care what the man." She give sit air quotes. "Does with religion, I know what I think, I might ask others what they do but the grand picture." A shake of her head. "Not my problem." And a topic that can quickly get out of hand. A chuckle, something a little crueller then she usual has. "Not even to spit on the grave? Sounds like he deserves it." If you don't treat family right then why would you be surprised when they don't mourn your passing.

Okay that's getting a little morbid. Galina looking at her hands in the way a murderer might if this was Hollywood production prompts a lot of questions, a lot of questions Verity really does not want answered. "How do you manage then, keeping your head when things hit the fan." Time to careful steer this into something more practical she seems to like that area.

But things seem to be turning around and Verity flashes her friend a smile. "See there you go, you'll have it sorted sooner or later I'm sure of it." Oh and she does classes that's good. "Have you made any friends at your classes?" If not I know where we can start at least.

Brawl failure

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2024-09-18 15:22:14	Verity Carmen rolls 3 to brawl (10 Again)	2, 5, 3	failure

The last thing she had been expecting was the shift of shadows in the corner of eye and a sudden surge of predatory anger, the beast knew what it meant before she herself did, what other kindred would bother coming to a gym? It's not like it did anything for them and the switch in focus to wresting the sensation back down causes to utterly lose momentum in time with the door opening. Turning she finds as expected Helen. Well that could be a lot worse. But by the others que it seemed they were playing the strangers game tonight. "You two know each other?" It was a little concerning if Galina had attracted more then one predator to take an interest. Then to Helen. "Hi there, nice to meet you, Verity." Oh I have seen her fight. And The Reeve had come off rather worse for wear. "Defeater of giants?" Looking between the two, that was a curious title to have.

[Helen Kingsley]

"Still a bit stiff, but it's not too bad. Me and my folks on my dad's side have always healed easily. Good thing to inherit, really." As to prove a point, she does a few careful torso twists to demonstrate. As Galina mentions the naming question, she frowns, as if trying to recall something, then nodding. "True, kinda didn't get to that. I'm Helen."

Helen nods again.

"We kind of met some time ago during a training session, yah." She chuckles at Verity's inquiry. "Eh, got into a little spat with a guy the size of two guys. I mean, you know the type, head or one and a half heads taller, got a bunch of pounds on me. The kind that lets their mass and size do the talking. Knocked him out cold, but got a few souvenirs on the way. Closer call than I would've liked, but that's what makes things like that interesting."

[Galina]

Softly shaking her head.
"Not really no, other religious things I have done have felt odd and like I did not belong but not this one. I might not get it, or get all out of it but it helps me remember him, all he taught me, and did for me." It really was just a memory things for her, and hey their spirits did not work the same as humans. Giving her new friend a light look. "I do not care about religion, so do not worry about offending me. My father felt an importance in this aspect so I honor it, we had tides with some temples so I danced in them, there were festivals around them so I attended, I helped out but I have never really followed a religion." Appeasing the spirits and call them Kami though but that is not words I can share with anyone here, sigh I need to find a pack soon. "Why? I could insult him, I could utter profanity for days, but truth be told he is just not worth it, he is not worth my time, thoughts, or efforts. I had a father, a real father, and he wasn´t it. He did not care for me when I needed him, why should I care for him in life or death?" Feeling like she had spoken a tad much as she looks away with bitten down teeth, no blood truly meant nothing to her.

Walking over to the boxing sack with a calm expression upon her.
"We all need to find our way, for me so well I just remind myself who I am. I am not a berserk, not one who panics, one who remains in control." Not a mindless killer. "All I do has a purpose, control is mine, and no one will that that from me. Each action taken when in those situations are under my control not anger, or desperation but mine." A look over at Verity. "That is all." Simple but it tended to work for her.

Shaking her head in her usual soft manner.
"Thank you, but no, no friends there at all. Just don´t know how to connect with them." They were so different. "I mostly just end up either having them on the floor or blushing."

Opting to not comment on the punch as her focus was on the other woman for a moment, a brief look at the shadow, damn what was it with the lighting of this place, how could her shadow keep feeling off both times but no one elses?
"That is a marvelous trait to have, I had to change my entire diet and build my body up to do that." Grabbing one of her bars to hand over toward her. "Would you like a a protein or energy bar Helen?"

Looking down with a nervous look upon her as the two spoke, gathering her nerves in an attempt to calm herself down, a deep breath to gather her composure.
"Umm yes that´s about it, she was marvelous." Turning her head towards Helen with a gulp, trying to force herself to be somewhat calm. "Say this might be strange, and really not something you might be interested in but would you maybe like to change numbers and do something sometime?" Attempting to still her nerves but clearly looking a bit nervous. "We could train, go see a fight, or well if you have some other interests so am I quite open for most things." Trying to not let the eyes of her established friend enter her periphery, she had tried to help push her to make friends and awkward as she was at it so was she trying at least.

[Verity Carmen]

Verity listens to Galina's expression of comfort and connection provided by her practice. Makes a kind of sense I guess. But not really able to relate is left feeling more confused on the matter than anything. "If it works for you then go for it right." Now for the matter of causing offence. "Well its one of those topics isn't it so easy to say something have it taken the wrong way. But it sounds a lot like Christmas and Eater celebrations, people attend the events, they do the practice part might even join the choir but actual belief? that seems to be on the way out in the world." A dramatic over exaggeration by most accounts. "Why? catharsis, teach him a lesson, bragging rights, but if you don't need any of that then sure why bother." Sometimes it did pay to let people know what you think with your actions.

I mean that sounds all well and good but hang on a minute there. "So why do you blush so much? can't you just do the same thing?" If control is yours and all that. It is a question not a chastisement, a blank question that seeks to understand how someone can claim to have such mastery in a fight but suffer so in social situations. Now as for friends and that blushing. "Have you tired asking them about themselves? or suggesting going out for a drink or something?" First step is always the hardest. The suggestion meant well and tied to the topic of control with the hope the two will rub off on each other.

She gives a chuckle. "The thug called tiny in every B movie type of guy then? The guy who bigs himself up in the most literal sense just to hit the deck from a glass jaw?" Yeah she knew the type, but if any brand of kine was giving the Reeve a hard time considering all kindred could do, it was still probably worth avoiding ones like that. "Did he walk away or was it a stretcher kind of job?" If the Reeve took a few blows but walked it off then it was nothing to worry about, wounds didn't stick to kindred long.

Noticing the sudden request Verity takes a slow and quiet half a step back, not even hitting the bag, not wanting to give Galina a chance to back out with a distraction. Yeah that's it sure, there are a lot worse you be friends with I guess. But why did it have to be another predator. Verity does not pray but she does offer silent hope Galina will be alright on the fringes of the supernatural world as she seems to be drawn to.

[Helen Kingsley]

Helen frowns a litle as Galina outlines her way of keeping her head, but thinks better than to comment. "Yah, the big lottery of genetics, you win some, you lose some, and if you're lucky, you get stuck with stuff you never have to find out what it is." Asked about the energy bar ? "Sure."

Helen looks a bit surprised at first as she's asked for her number but hey, why not ? "Yeah, why not ?"

"Sorta, just without the glass jaw. Almost gave as good as he got, gotta give him that." She shrugs. "Stretcher job at first, when he came to, he got out on his own feet, but I admit I might have done a hard number on a few of his ribs. And his liver. Took it like a champ, but thats the stuff that hurts good."

[Galina]

Offering a light nod.
"There is a large differential by belief, culture and tradition. As traditions get set so do we honor them for the memories, cause it is what we have always done. The culture around us does it as well so we do it, it feels natural, it is our path so why not?" Turning her eyes towards the door. "As we get bombarded with it around us by the culture so do we have the boons, or time off or people around caught in it so we just do it. The meaning individual more than it´s core, what it was meant to be, just a my little shrine is special to me due to me having been around it, to have gotten it into my mind." Simply shrugging at the suggestion. "If I meet him sure, but I won´t give him the effort to travel for it, he had the chance to be my father, he had repeated chances even but chose to only be a father to my half brother, so why should I extent the slightest effort for his sake?"

Giving the sack a strike with her fingers extended, rapidly pulling her hand back to strike it with the side of her hand then back for a proper punch all without flinching or blinking.
"Not a bad question, if I had to guess so would I say experience." Spinning around with a kick against the sack. "I know my body, in a fight I know what will happen, how to read each movement, I know how my body will react, how much things will hurt, in social situations so well." Sighing. "I just do not know the culture, how the people will react, how my mixed blood and still claiming a third culture will affect people, or how to be, it is infinitely harder. When it is fists so is it just a control of myself, to know myself, how to follow movements, it is akin to breathing for me, the social plane far more foreign." Turning her head back to Verity. "Does that make sense?" Quickly looking away with a slightly embarrassed look upon her. "I think so, but sometimes I get so trapped in my own mind I cannot truly recall." The words read with the kind intent, but not truly sure how she acted at times, nerves to easily taking control, people were just hard.

Looking between the two with a half stern half laughing look, about to defend the name but opting to not do it, Tiny was one of the people who had truly been the most welcoming and warm to her and someone she dearly missed still the joke was not wrong.
"Yeah sounds about right, he did seem to have a caring side of my small stature though, not that I nor" nodding to Helen. "Or Helen here probably need to worry about some hoodlums." Not from the skills she had seen of the woman.

Lightly shining up as she hands over a protein and an energy bar, not having gotten a confirmation of which she would prefer.
"Here, I have plenty, just got a new shipment for the month so my storages are full." And thank the ancestors for that with how many she ate.

Beginning the motion for a step backward, the silence of no strikes pounding within her, each beat of her heart harder and harder to keep somewhat calm, just glad the nervousness took charge over subsiding the rage for a moment. The look feeling off, about to part her own lips to speak, to deflect the situation until hearing the answer with a shine. Dashing over to get her phone, unlocking it to navigate through the Kanji text upon it to the call screen and hand it over to the blonde fighter.
"Just put your number in there and call yourself, I am sorry about the Kanji text." Thinking back on the recent tip she had just gotten. "Other than fighting and training what kind of things do you like to do for fun?" Gulping with a slight movement of the corner of her lips, trying her darndest to look somewhat composed. A turn over to Verity. "She downplays it, with those kinds of strikes so is it truly fortunate neither needed a hospital afterward, internal bleeding from those kinds of strikes would not have been surprising for either of them."

[Verity Carmen]

The importance of touchstone she could understand, the benefit of routine and habit, of a certain certainty they brought. Of course favour a little unpredictability herself. "Tradition, culture, belief at the end of it all we do these things because we want to." That's the simple part. "Be it a source of comfort, sense of obligation or because we genuinely enjoy the reasons for the why mesh up and entwine. So Yeah if it works for you." And if you needed to dress it up or justify then maybe it wasn't actually something you wanted to do.

So she needs to feel in control? A flip of auburn hair to get it back in place after all the thrown punches and movements, a winning grin and a gentle musical laugh. "So knowing or thinking you know what will happen help you stay calm?" Well Verity was no expert on fighting, but people, people she could still do better then most who breathed. "So check their body language, their facial expression, the movements of their eyes, tone of their voice treat it like a fight and learn what means what." Nothing like some practical examples. "Why did I flip my hair back a few moments back, and what does that mean?" What Verity thinks is an easy example. Although all things considered maybe using myself is not the greatest plan.

It is going to become anyone guess how long Verity can keep herself out of the spotlight, pulling back to let Galina swing her shot at making a friend. And it seemed to be going okay. But staying completely out of it impossible. For this mystery giant however, the accounts were starting to get a bit muddled to her hearing. "So a big guy who threw his weight around to the point you to had a fight resulting in potentially serious injury but." Misty green eyes flick to Galina. "Was showing a caring side?" And by the sounds of it could be dead in a ditch somewhere from internal bleeding. "Well by the sounds of it he to what was coming to him so." A shrug is offered as she settles back again to watch out the rest of this little social exchange.

[Helen Kingsley]

"She's got a point there." Helen agrees with Verity. "Greatest enemy of good is better. It'll take a while like with learning new stuff. Use what you know, observe better people, work on getting it right, then work on getting faster and learn to get the moving parts together without thinking too hard until it's reflex. Now that sounds like a shit advice from the back of some advert leaflet, but most important think is give it time. Don't break shit by overthinking it and, of course, don't be afraid to go out and fail as often as you need to. My ex-boyfriend had a nice saying for that. 'Sometimes, you need to just really get the shit beaten out of you to help you realize what you're doing wrong.' The important thing is to commit and to see it through, whatever happens. You've alerready done that, you found there's a problem and you work to address it. Well done you. Just gotta stick with it, no matter how bad you get beaten up. Chin down, fists up and back into the fray as soon as the worst bruising is gone. Just like in the ring."

She says that without the sarcasm that tends to drip from the words 'Well done you' when she normally uses them. She wants Galina to know she's serious. Helen frowns as she looks from the screen over to Galina.

"There's kanji on the screen. I guess it is what it is. Never apologize to other people for how you like your things. Especially not your private things." Asked about what else she likes to do, she frowns again, thinking. "I knit. I watch sports. Go out for a drink if I'm really bored and work lets me. Used to watch TV a lot back in the days, but I don't have a tv set anymore, so there's that. I read a little, though. How bout you ?"

She only makes an indifferent 'eh' sounds as Galina says she's downplaying it. Of course she is, but Verity possibly already knows that. And that guy was a pretty tough nut to crack. But there's only one thing Helen hates more than bad losers and that is bad winners. And she likes to not think of herself as one. Done deal, finished. Next thing up.

"Chuck and I checked, the guy was mostly good, pretty minimal chance of any really dangerous issues. Guy of his size with that attitude and that build can takew that sort of stuff. Trust me on that."