Fists of Fury

[Dillon Connery]

Having said his hellos and restrained his Beast where he felt one to react to, Dillon falls quietly into place.

Rather than show off, he is more than content to observe; watching how the exercises affect the other participants while he performs them himself. It is obvious that there is at least one other not totally unfamiliar with the process in Max Heinz. While Dillon hadn't exactly expect that of the man, it isn't a complete surprise either. It's just a matter of continuously reminding oneself that under that facade of a goofy scholar lies a Kindred who once held Dillon's job, and had earned it.

As for the current Reeve, Dillon is following Callum's motions without having to look.

Again, what glancing around he does is merely to gauge the others, and to silently hope that Martha's robotic leg doesn't get confused and cause her to topple over. He has her next to him, and in his peripheral vision, just in case.

It takes a moment for him to realize that Callum is waiting for Dillon to straighten up before he does. While a particularly playful and competitive part of him is tempted to see if he can wait the man out, in the end, Dillon decides that respect for the one leading the class is paramount. But he doesn't bother to feign discomfort, either. That would be insulting to his deputy's intelligence.

This happens both times, and Dillon is likewise still doing pushups when the Daeva springs up and asks his question. The Gangrel's response is to think back. Way back, to the answer Callum might be looking for. He has his own immediate opinion, but he can't help but cast a mental net back to those nights with Jun Shon. The poor immigrant that slaved on a railroad during the day, and taught a young Kindred Wing Chun Kung Fu during the night.

Dillon had marveled at how he could find the energy and discipline to do both.

He'd never even gotten the opportunity to properly thank the man before--

No. Here and now.

Biting his tongue, Dillon looks curiously to Martha and Max, thinking that they were the best chance at answering correctly. A chance he will give them. Dillon is the Reeve. He needs no spotlight.

[Max Heinz]

Max follows along with Callum's directions as he gets into the proper position. And the Deputy was right, the stance was an uncomfortable one; though it was more do to with the unusual alignment of the body than anything else. The whole thing was a little puzzling to the Mekhet; Max tended to judge things on their usefulness, and he couldn't see much practical use for the exercise beyond training to be a downhill skier.

Still, there had to be a reason for the odd stance, perhaps to strengthen the muscles of the legs and back. He certainly begins to feel the fatigue in his muscles after not too long; the Grand Wyrm returning to a normal standing position a little while before Callum and Dillon.

Next came a series of tiger push-ups, another exercise he was unfamiliar with; though in the end it seems simply a regular push-up with a few extra steps thrown in. The thin Mekhet kept his mind on the exercises and watching Callum to make sure he was doing them correctly; though that was mainly to keep his mind and eyes off Tracy. He knew if he had to watch the petite Gangrel do this sort of thing, there was no way he could keep a straight face. And that would just ruin the mood for everyone...

He finally stands after doing a respectable number of reps, and enjoys the little contest that seemed to develop between the Reeve and the Deputy. Max didn't have anything to prove tonight, so instead watched the display with a fair bit of amusement. When Callum asks for the reason for the breathing, Max considered giving a serious answer; but in the end decides Callum would probably like to be able to give the answer himself...

"If we didn't breath, we'd pass out..." Max calls out with a slight grin, both at the cheekiness of his answer and the unstated in-joke.

[Tracy Burns]

Tracy couldn't help but chuckle at Max's response, since they all knew that passing out from not breathing wasn't much of an issue for any of them anymore. Smartass, she mused to herself and she glanced at the thin Mekhet, shaking her head but with a smirk on her lips. After all, it was that sense of humor that made him so charming in her eyes. Turning her attention back to her fellow Deputy, the petite Gangrel decided to give it a try.

"To help us concentrate?" she said, answering the Daeva's question with one of her own. Perhaps she was still hesitant to give a full response, unsure of whether she was right or not. She didn't want to look like a fool, not in front of so many other Kindred. "Having to consciously think about every breath we take...seems like an exercise for our minds just as much as our bodies." With that, she gave a little shrug, hoping she wasn't too far off base with her reply.

[Mike]

Erich will wait for a bit to see if anyone else is going to answer. After a period of silence the Shark speaks up.

"When learning to speak publicly, the timing and tempo of breathing is heavily stressed. This is because your rate of breathing can affect the speed at which to talk. So it's important to know when is an appropriate time while speaking to pause and take a deep breath. Tempo is very important when trying to present an argument or idea. I imagine that if breathing can have such an impact on speaking, there is a similar correlation to other actions as well. You don't breath in when your throwing a punch after all, that'd be rather ineffective, not to mention unnatural."

He regards his cousin politely, wondering if his answer is near what Mr. McCann was looking for.

[Vampire ST]

One week without any activity.

Scene Ends.