Hammer and Anvil [IC]

[alderwitch]

Taylor flipped the flyer over on her table and eyed it once again. She was actually considering going to a college sponsered event for once. The flyer had been one of those pieces of paper she'd picked up with the rest of her fall-term paperwork. Unlike the other brightly colored pages, however, this one she'd kept around on her end table, gathering dust as she tried to make up her mind. Taylor didn't want to go alone to the class, however. Plus, it was exactly the sort of thing that might be good for someone else she'd know.

After one last moment of hesitation, she pulled out her phone and dialed Stesha's number. She didn't even know if she'd take the call, actually. Last time, things had been... awkward.

[Electra]

Just a few miles away, Stesha was stretched out on her couch with her hair under a sunlamp when her phone started playing "Think of Me." It took her a moment to remember who that was for, but she chuckled when she remembered her own cleverness. But what would Taylor be calling for? Stesha opened her eyes and rolled over to pick up the phone from her coffee table, shoving her hair back from her face with her free hand. "Hello, Taylor," she said into the phone, "what's up?"

[alderwitch]

"There's a self defense class at my school. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?" Taylor asked, flopping back onto her couch and stretching her legs out over one arm of the battered sofa. "I'm a little nervous about going alone, actually. I don't really have a lot of friends at the college and they're all more on the bookish end, anyways."

She idly picked at the fraying hem of her jean shorts as she talked. It might be time to consign these cut-offs to the rag-bin.

[Electra]

"Self-defense?" Stesha repeated, honestly baffled. "But... what do you need a self-defense class for?" She was a little leery of saying too much secret information over the phone, but trusted Taylor would get the gist. "I mean, you've got plenty of ways to defend yourself, don't you?" She didn't bother to deny that she herself might need a little brushing up in that area.

[alderwitch]

"I have abilities, but if they're stopped - and they can be stopped - I'm only as capable as I make myself. Back when," Taylor's words hitched and fumbled before she picked up the thread of conversation again. Her training wasn't something she'd spoken about, to anyone really, "When I was learning how to do all that I do, I had teachers of a more physical nature as well. I've let that lag a bit since I've gotten back."

She continued to fray the threads from the jeans as she spoke, trying to neaten the hem in a truly fruitless quest, "I can't really learn anything from the others on the team. Those of them that are good at any sort of hand to hand would knock me halfway across the room on accident."

[Electra]

"Yeah, I could see that," Stesha agreed thoughtfully. "If you're good, you tend to be very very good, and anyone who isn't good has different skills. If you want to try and brush up, I'd be up for that. I'm not exactly good at any of that stuff," she admitted as though it needed to be said, "so it would probably be good for both of us. When is it?"

[alderwitch]

"Tonight, actually," Taylor admitted with a tinge of guilt to her voice. She really had been dithering over the silly thing, "I've been debating whether or not to risk attending. It's kind of crossing the beams for me. My alter-ego really shouldn't know the first thing about self defense but I do, and its at my college. But I only have so much time in the day, not to mention resources, and it also happens to be free."

[Electra]

"Oh, tonight..." Stesha leaned up on a elbow and looked over to her Felix clock. "Sure, that will be fine," she told Taylor. "Derrick's working tonight, or we'd probably be doing something, but you know how it is. I can meet you someplace, or we can get together at the university, but I don't know where anything is. What time should we meet?" It was nice to be a little accommodating, she figured. Right now, she was just happy that Taylor was apparently not holding onto any hard feelings after the conversation about Jack.

[alderwitch]

Taylor glanced at her clock and wrinkled her nose, "You can meet me at my place, if you'd like and we can go over together that way. I'd give you directions but teleporting around the city has left me really bad at explaining where anything is."

She gave her the address of the apartment and added, "We'll meet up around five-thirty and head over?"

[Electra]

"Sure, that'll be fine," Stesha replied. She'd have to cut short her cloudy day fake-baking, but she could make it up to herself later on, especially if she got set on her butt a few times in a self-defense class. "If you have any plants I can pop right in, otherwise I can meet you in any place where people aren't going to be walking by. I'm not crazy about trying to drive into Riverside and park on a Sunday afternoon."

[alderwitch]

Taylor eyed the droopy ficus in the corner, thinking she may have neglected to water it again. "I've got a plant - a ficus. Sort of. It's just a little under the weather. I'll see you then!"

[Electra]

"Sounds good." Stesha bumped up the schedule on her afternoon chores a little, to make time to pin up her hair securely and dig the workout clothes from where she had never quite gotten around to unpacking the moving box in the back of her closet. She'd been busy! Finally, with her hair braided and pinned up securely around her head, and dressed in a cheerfully bright sweatsuit covered with paintblot flowers, Stesha stuck a water bottle in her knapsack and checked her directions one more time. She wondered suddenly if she ought to bring the instant cold pack from her first aid kit, but decided it probably wasn't that kind of class. No one would actually get hurt.

When she was sure of the directions, she pictured the city in her mind, zeroing in on the block, the building, and then on the apartment itself. Touching her fingers to one of Moira's bonsai trees for good luck, she disappeared, zipping through a world of green only to be regurgitated a moment later by a pitiful excuse for a ficus.

[alderwitch]

The tingle on the back of her neck alerted Taylor to the incoming presence and she took a step away from the living room. As the spartan apartment was home to a teleporter, the area she'd set the ficus in was blessidly clear of any clutter.

The few furnishings were worn but comfortable and the only area with any clutter was one battered desk in the corner that was almost bowed under the stack of school books. Taylor leaned her hip against the island that seperated the kitchen from the room. She'd thrown on a pair of short running shorts and a loose tank top over a halter top. Her feet were still bare but for a pair of athletic socks and her sneakers sat by the door.

She gave Stesha a welcoming grin and finished knotting her hair up into a thick tail. "Welcome to my apartment. Such as it is."

[Electra]

Stesha took a quick look around, relieved she'd zoomed in on the right place, then smiled at Taylor. "Hey, I still lived at home with my folks when I was in school. Some days I would've lived in a cardboard box if I could've fit a bathtub in there. So, are we ready for some defending of our selves?" Casually, she reached into her bag and took out the water bottle, pouring about a third of its contents onto the distressed little plant. The water, and a little infusion of power, had it looking much better right away. She knew she ought to ask first, but it was a mission of mercy.

[alderwitch]

Taylor looked amused but didn't protest the attendence to the worn out ficus. Once Stesha had perked the plant up, Taylor scooped it off the ground and replaced it in its usual home in the corner on top of a bookshelf. "It might be kinder to let the poor thing expire. I'm not the best with plants, to say the least. Doesn't help that I vanish on it for days at a time."

She collected her keys and slipped her sneakers on to knot them quickly. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I just hope this isn't one of those things where they teach you to say no, loudly and firmly."

Taylor held out one hand to Stesha. Teleporting would be easier than driving at this time of day.

[Electra]

"I think that's obedience class," Stesha replied, taking Taylor's hand. "And if you don't want the ficus, I'll be happy to rehome it for you. It has lots of potential, just needs a little more sun and love. You could always get a plastic ficus and just dust it occasionally, or a cactus, so I could still visit." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, preparing for the oddity of Taylor's mode of transportation.

[alderwitch]

"It was a housewarming gift from my folks. I'll keep on trying for a bit with it. If I can keep it from drooping, maybe someday I can upgrade to pets." Taylor smiled faintly and then pulled them both through the void to a small stairwell on campus. She waited politely for her passenger to recover from the usually disorienting experience and released Stesha's hand.

"I think they're holding this thing over at the athletic facilities." Taylor explained. Her stride hitched briefly when she saw a larger crowd than she'd expected milling in front of the buildings. She picked out a few familiar faces and winced, "Looks like some of my co-workers are here. I didn't think this was their sort of thing. Let's try and avoid my boss. He's kinda... handsy."

She gestured with a nod of her head at her supervisor. A slightly older student than Taylor, he was pleasantly attractive if a little bland looking overall. Average enough in height and build, with shaggy blonde hair and a scraggly goatee.

[Electra]

"Maybe you can practice on him," Stesha suggested cheerfully, but heeded the warning and steered towards the other side of the crowd. "I guess a lot of people are interested in learning this stuff," she observed, joining the edge of the throng and standing on tiptoe to look towards the doors. "But you know, maybe if you want something more powerful, you should try something a little more intensive. I was reading the other day about the martial arts that the Israeli army uses, Krav Manga or something like that. It's supposed to be really effective."

[alderwitch]

"I thought about it, but I'll probably do something more like kick-boxing. I think a lot of that stuff you have to start a lot younger than I am to actually be really good at it. Not that I don't have time," Taylor added dryly. She didn't bother trying to look over the crowd as there was little she'd be able to see without a milk crate.

The answer to at least one of their questions - Why this was so popular? - was answered as a man took the stage to much cheering and applause. He had the sort of musculature that made one wonder if he would actually be able to fold his arms if he tried. The sort of build that only pro-bodybuilders or men with something to prove develop. A self-proclaimed mixed martial artist, he apparently had some sort of television show.

Taylor rolled her eyes at Stesha and was tempted to suggest that they bail out for coffee when she felt a hand close around her elbow. Taylor gritted her teeth as the blonde man she'd pointed out to Stesha earlier pulled her up against his side and spoke up over the ambient noise, "Hey, Taylor. Didn't expect to see you at an actual honest-to-God social event. Turning over a new leaf? I approve, especially if you'll be running around in sports wear. So, who's your friend?"

He crowded Taylor's personal space and she shifted subtly, trying to establish a bit more room but it was difficult in the crowd. Her expression was studiously neutral, but the flash of mutinous dislike had been clear to Stesha at Drew's approach. "Drew, this is Stesha - a friend I made over the summer. Stesha, my co-worker, Drew."

"Hey, Stesha. It's a pleasure." His glance over her was a little to sleazy to be considered appreciative and the smile he gave her was more of a smirk than a grin.

[Electra]

"Oh hi!" Stesha said with absolute cheerfulness, giving the sleazy librarian an absolutely brilliant smile. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Drew. All of my friends here have been talking about you. If the librarians back at my school were more like you, well, my library-going habits might have been very different."

She gently nudged Taylor to one side, interposing herself between the two and getting closer to Drew, the daisy pinned behind her ear bobbing cheerily with the movement. "Are you here for the self-defense class? I thought originally it was a self-defense for women class, but obviously not, if you're here, because you're not a woman, and there are a few other guys here too, I see. But anyone can benefit from a good course in self-defense, I always say. Are you a student here?" she asked, not pausing for a breath. "I mean, you're at least 21, right? I always like to check, it's so hard to tell and you can never be too careful," she concluded with another clueless smile.

[alderwitch]

Taylor stared at Stesha with a moment of real concern, even as she managed to shake the fingers around her elbow off. She'd be the first to say Stesha was one of the nicest people that she knew but even Stesha wasn't that nice. Still, Taylor would be the first to say Drew had it coming. With a nimbleness born of long practice, Taylor scooted away from the hand coming perliously close to her backside and let Stesha interpose herself.

It helped that Drew was thick enough to sense an incoming female that might actually be interested and gave Stesha another grin with the sleaze factor rocketed up a notch, "Oh, I'm over twenty-one. This is my last year here as an under-grad. So, Taylor has been talking about me? I always knew we'd thaw the ice princess eventually."

He laughed at his own joke and Taylor gave him a flat look of acute dislike at the nick name. Sadly, it was ruined by the fact Drew was too focused on slipping his arm around Stesha to notice. She muttered, "Fat chance."

[Electra]

"That's just professional reserve, silly," Stesha told him, giving his arm a light thwack and using that as an excuse to dodge his hand. "Never date coworkers, especially in an environment like a school. Why, I could tell you more horror stories!" She tsked and shook her head. "That's why I told Taylor she should keep her relationships off-campus, and it's good advice for everyone. In a place like Freedom City, why would a nice-looking young man like you keep his sights focused on one campus, anyway, let alone on the place where you work? I don't think Taylor's boyfriend has ever even been to a university. Oh look, it's starting!" she chirped as people started heading into the building. "I need to go to the locker room and change into my other shoes. You'll save a spot for us, won't you?" she asked Drew worriedly. "It's so busy, I'd hate to get shut out."

[alderwitch]

"Sure, doll. Anything for you," Drew agree bemusedly then gave her another one of those leering looks, "If it gets too cramped, you can just sit on my lap."

Chuckling to himself, Drew strode off to find them seats while Taylor gave Stesha the 'are-you-out-of-your-mind' look before reluctantly smiling, "I hope you're working up to breaking his thumbs or something equally entertaining. The man's a toad."

She rubbed her elbow distractedly. Drew's touch always felt slimy. Ick. "At least he's sober. He's worse with a few beers in him. Nothing I say can convince him he's not a gift to all of women kind."

[Electra]

"Well, I was mostly just trying to get rid of him," Stesha admitted, her Cheshire-cat smile fading to something more normal once he was out of sight. "We can always just say we lost track of him in the crowd if we decide to go in. But I'm always skeptical of those TV show guys and their self-defense moves. I mean, how often does somebody who looks like that have to protect himself, anyway? Plus, with so many people around, he's probably just going to toss some luckless schlub around the stage for all of us to watch. And while it would be entertaining if it was Drew, I'm not sure either of us are that lucky."

She watched the people filing past them for a moment, then asked Taylor, "If he always acts like that, why don't you file a complaint?"

[alderwitch]

"He's basically harmless. Just irritating." Taylor said flatly as they let the people stream past them. "I need the job, and although a worthless toad, he looks the other way when I vanish mid-shift. Most of the time. Unfortunately, he sees the whole 'ice princess' thing as some sort of challenge."

She lifted one shoulder in a shrug and leaned her hip against the wall, her cheeks dimpling as she grinned, "I dunno. It might be worth it to sit next to Drew and convince him to volunteer. My cell phone has a video feature, after all."