Sparring Practice (IC)

[Griffalo]

Friday 25th February, 5PM

Evander arrived in the gym a few minutes before the time he'd arranged with Wander over campus e-mail. The gym was thankfully only sparsely populated - the sheer size of the deluxe building meant that onlookers were going to be few and far between. He was definitely glad of that.

He kept his bare arms crossed, hugging himself. He felt pretty self-conscious. He was wearing black basketball shorts and a white sleeveless T-shirt; naturally he'd also elected to wear his breastplate too, to give him maximum protection from his opponent's blows. He really hoped she didn't make him take it off.

His talaria completed the outfit. In a setting like this they didn't look the least bit out of place, and their magical properties meant he shouldn't get too battered and bruised either. At least dad didn't confiscate all this stuff too, he thought. He must have realised I'd have a need for it.

He looked at his watch. Less than a minute to go. He was all nervous, his stomach fluttering almost as much as his hands. He thought about Erin, all red hair and taut musculature, a graceful and sinewy body with a sharp mind behind those eyes. He'd thought about her a lot over the last week, in fact. He shook his head.

Stupid. He'd heard around school that she was dating someone, and besides, there was something about her, something that warned him off. Made him a little scared of her. He didn't know whether it was her physical presence, or something in her demeanour. Something that suggested she'd already lived a life of terrible experience.

40 seconds. Jesus, you're acting like you're on a date. This is equivocally, most assuredly not a date! Get a grip!.

[Electra]

With five seconds left to go in his personal countdown, Erin walked into the gym. Or perhaps Wander walked in, since she was wearing the simple blue and gold uniform that not only was Claremont's de rigueur practice uniform, but was also her official Young Freedom look. Walking in Evander's direction, she gave him a small smile as she looked over his outfit. "You're going to want to lose the breastplate for now," she commented. "It's hard enough to get an exercise program going without adding ten extra pounds of equipment off the bat."

[Griffalo]

He couldn't hide the appraising look he gave Erin as she walked in. Wow. That certainly didn't leave much to the imagination. He realised he was staring, rearranging his face into a more composed look.

"You mean we're not gonna fight today? I got to say I'm pretty relieved. Thought I was gonna get a real pounding!" He began to work on the buckles holding the plate to his body.

He carefully places the piece of armor nearby with some reverence before turning back to Wander.

"So okay, what's first?" He bounces on the balls of his feet enthusiastically.

[Electra]

"It wouldn't be useful at this point," Erin told him, not unkindly. "You don't have the training to understand what you're doing yet, so sparring wouldn't teach you anything. And I might lay you out without meaning to, and that wouldn't help either." She beckoned him over to a hardwood-floor area of the gym, with a mirror-lined wall and a waist high barre. "Get into the stance I showed you the other day," she told him, standing next to him and taking the stance herself to remind him how it was done. "Have you been practicing?"

[Griffalo]

He smiled shyly.

"Only every single chance I got." And with that, he did indeed assume a good version of the stance she'd shown him. A few minor corrections had to be made, but otherwise not too bad.

"Thought it'd be sensible, because I thought you'd be knocking me around a lot today. I think you had the right idea though. I'd probably have been fighting my own instincts to use defensive magic rather than concentrating on learning what you had to teach."

He keeps a close eye on the pair of them in the mirror, making close adjustments to his stance and posture. It was clear to Erin that he wanted to make sure it was exactly right, not just an approximation.

[Electra]

"Good," Erin told him with a nod, looking over his stance. "That's much better. Like I said, I recommend the easy way of learning to fight, which doesn't really involve that much getting the stuffing beat out of you. It does involve a lot of practice and exercise, though. You're wiry, so starting some martial arts training might be good for you too. I can't really help you there, I only know the basics of any of them."

Straightening from her stance, Erin went over to the far wall and grabbed a practice dummy torso, wheeling it over. It looked like there were dummies made in several different kinds of material, the one she chose was made of foam. She parked the dummy, which was really a torso and head on a flexible stick, in front of Evander. "Punch it," she instructed.

[Griffalo]

He's at least managed to avoid the most common error of neophytes and doesn't tuck his thumb inside his fingers when he punches. Still, it's merely a quick extension of his fist towards the dummy.

"Well, that was as unspectacular as I expected it to be." He looked more than a little disappointed, though they both knew it was exactly in line with his evident lack of skill. He throws a few more quick jabs at the dummy's face and head. None of the three blows land in the same place, and no doubt someone like Wander would have felt them as mere taps on the shoulder.

The determined set to his jaw seemed to say that he was determined to overcome this apparent area of weakness.

[Electra]

"Everybody sucks at first," Erin told him with a shrug. "Otherwise you wouldn't have to practice. You need to learn how to follow through on your punch without leaning into it." She went and got another dummy, this one shaped the same as the first, but made of solid titanium.It looked very heavy. "Watch how I do it," she instructed. "I'm going to be pulling my punches so I don't break the dummy, so if you're watching, you'll see how I follow through, but stop at the last second."

Starting in the same stance she'd showed Evander, Erin drew back her bare fist and drove it forward, her entire body involved in the move as she shifted her weight and plowed her fist into the dummy's metal jaw. Because he was watching closely, Evander saw the momentary hiccup interrupting the smooth motion that was her pulling her punch, but it was still hard enough to leave a slight dent in the metal. "Your arm doesn't have the kind of power you need to really knock someone down," she told Evander, straightening to face him. "You have to put your body behind it as well."

[Griffalo]

When she turned to look at him, he was both horrified and impressed in equal measure.

"That was solid titanium, and you put a dent in it. With a pulled punch. Okay, now I'm definitely glad we didn't start off with the sparring."

He turned back to the metal dummy's foam counterpart and tried mimicing the way Erin had punched. This time he more successfully followed through, twisting to drive his body behind the punch. He'd leaned into it slightly, true, but the dummy rocked back appreciably. A slight smile from him showed that he could see the evident improvement.

[Electra]

"I have to pull, or I'd knock the damn thing's head off," Erin told him with a wry smile. "I broke three of them last year while I was learning. These days though, I'm better at it." She aimed another punch at the metal dummy, put the entire force of her body into it... and then stopped entirely, one quivering millimeter from actually connecting. "Part of having power, whatever kind you've got, is learning to control it."

She watched as Evander tried out the technique, nodding. "That's a good start," she told him. "You have to be careful not to lean in, though. Your spine should always be straight, even though your instinct's going to be to lean in and give it that last tiny bit of momentum. But if you do that, you leave yourself open." She put a hand on his back and one on his arm, leaning him forward into the position he'd ended his strike in. "Look in the mirror, and see what's going on with your head and your upper body. You're totally off-balance and wide open. You'd never get your off-arm up in time to block a punch, you see? That's the kind of hit you only make if you've got no other choice, and you're sure that your hit is going to connect, and hard."

[Griffalo]

he definitely seemed impressed with her trick of stopping just before the punch connected. That's some real Matrix #@&% right there, he thought.

"Hey, I'm with you on the control thing. Believe me."

He'd listened intently, his entire being focused on taking in the lesson before nodding to show that he comprehended. There was a slight hesitation in his body as Erin laid her hands on him, but it passed after a moment. He regarded himself critically in the mirror, and couldn't fault her assessment.

"It seems like a lot of learning to fight is learning to go against instinct. Or, rather, making the proper way to do things instinctual. Because I can imagine the first time I got in a fight I'd forget all this."

[Electra]

"Exactly," Erin agreed. "That's why if you want to join a team, you'll get hours and hours and hours of training first, till you're sick of it and you hate it. It's got to be instinctive, because the first time you get in a fight, all you're probably going to be thinking of is how to get out of it with your skin intact. I'm showing you just the basic stuff right now. It's the practicing that's the important part, and that's mostly stuff you'll do on your own." He was quick enough, Erin decided, and willing to learn. He'd probably do okay, with a whole lot of seasoning. And of course he was backing it all up with his magic, which totally wasn't her department, but which she had definite respect for after seeing magic-using heroes in action.

"Do you lift weights?" she asked Evander next, gesturing towards the circular arrangement of Nautilus machines and other workout equipment on the other side of the room.

[Griffalo]

He nodded intently. While being in a team seemed cool, the first time said team got in a fight was a concept that both thrilled and frightened him. It all too quickly brought back memories of Argus. He'd tried to fight - albeit with magic rather than fists - but the creature was too much. He'd ended up running in terror, running for his life. If he hadn't called on his father... He suppressed a shudder.

He looked between the machines and Wander.

"Well, I know how to lift something, if that helps. Then again, anything that seems like it'd be effort to lift, I've got to admit - I use magic." He waved a hand towards the heavy titanium dummy.

"Oculus manus."

It floated upwards a few inches, a foot or so above his upstretched palm. He walked it back to the other dummies, floating it along like a helium balloon. It settled down on the floor with only a slight metallic clang. As soon as his hand dropped to his side, the spell seemed ended.

[Electra]

A smile tipped the corners of Erin's mouth. "Well, that's effective, but it's not exactly what I was thinking. Being able to move stuff with your mind is great, but it's not going to help you out much when you need to hit something with your hands. Doing some real weight training will. You'll learn how to use all the machines in PE class, there's a whole unit on it, and you can ask for extra instruction if you want. Do some weightlifting and some cardio every day, and you'll start seeing a difference quickly. Who are you going to train with for your magic stuff?" she asked curiously.

[Griffalo]

He returned the smile. "Hey, sometimes it's all about playing to your strengths." He looked at the machines critically. "I'll be sure to give them a go. What's going to be best for all-out strength training?"

He shrugged at her question. "I have no idea. Haven't really met anyone else quite like me here at the school, and it's not like I saw 'The Hermetic Art' on the curriculum they gave me. Maybe I'll have to look outside the school for that. There's a few guys here who have magical abilities, but they're not magi like me." He smiles. "It's kind of like trying to learn how to operate a Mac and then sitting down in front of a PC; not going to be terribly effective."

[Electra]

"Each one trains a different part of your body," Erin said, leading him over for a closer look at the equipment. "Concentrating on your core is good because that strengthens your whole body, but you're going to want a balanced workout that targets your upper arms and thighs as well, since you'll be relying on them for punching, kicking and running. Once you learn how to do the machines, you'll probably want to do three or five sets of reps on each one, then move on."

She quickly showed him how to work the curl and butterfly press machines, just to give him the idea. Even at full weight, she had to be careful not to push very hard on the machines lest she damage them, but it wasn't as though she was looking for a workout herself. "Have you talked to Seven, maybe?" she suggested. "About the magic, I mean. She's been hanging out as a sort of TA and adviser this year while she takes college classes, but she's big on that magic stuff."

[Griffalo]

Evander studied the machines carefully, as if they were an opponent he was looking to defeat, trying to find their weakness. "So I do a certain amount of... 'reps'... and that's one set. Little break then you do the next set, right?" He nods. "Seems easy enough."

After he's watched her work, he shoots her another smile. "You certainly make it look easy."

"So, this Seven, she's been doing magic for a while now, do you think? I mean, not being arrogant but I am going to need a teacher who knows what they're doing, so I can further my studies." His posture and folded arms suggested that he wasn't completely successful in pulling off the whole 'not being arrogant' thing. But then again, maybe some of that pride and self-confidence was deserved?

[Electra]

"I don't know that much about magic, but Seven's got a lot of power and a lot of training," Erin told Evander with a shrug. "She comes from this whole magic family, and gossip says that she might be tapped to be the Master Mage's replacement whenever he decides to retire. If she can't help you herself, she's the sort of person who would probably know who you ought to be talking to." Erin slid off the bench, offered the machine to Evander. "You want a try? I'll show you how to adjust the weight down."

[Griffalo]

Evander nodded when Erin offered the bench. "Sure." He briefly considered asking her to keep the weight the same, but a sidelong glance showed that it was set for a total of more than he weighed.

"Yeah, setting a bit lower would be great. Should I start on the lowest setting and work my way up?"

Once Erin had set him at an appropriate level, he began working the machine - cautiously at first but then more confidently as he got into it.

"The next Master Mage, huh? That's pretty impressive, especially if this 'Seven' is still in college, too. Eldritch isn't going to retire any time soon, is he? Or is 'retire' just a polite way of suggesting he might get killed in the line of duty, so to speak?" He smiled, though it was gallows humour at best.

"Still, being from a magical lineage must mean she's got a lot of natural power." He weights clanked down briefly as he finished his final rep on that particular machine. "Any idea how I should get a hold of her?"

[Electra]

"Like I said, I'm not really the go-to person for magic stuff," Erin said with a hint of apology. "If it doesn't involve general education or hitting things, it hasn't really been part of my curriculum. But I think the master mage is really old, and still in pretty good shape. Just because he's training Seven to be his replacement doesn't mean she'll be ready anytime soon. It seems like there's a lot of stuff you'd have to learn. But she hangs around in the dorms sometimes with the Next Gen members who haven't graduated. You can probably catch her there sometime if you pay attention."

[Griffalo]

Evander nods, taking all this information without a word until she's finished. He looks at the machine he's operating.

"How am I doing, okay? This doesn't seem all that hard, you sure it's going to work? I mean, being strong and buff is cool and all, but I thought I'd be learning more... defensive stuff, really."

A few more reps on that machine, and he shrugs, working out some of the stiffness in his body.

"Not sure if I can ever repay the favour for this. I mean... like you said, it's not like I can teach you any magic. But... I dunno, if you ever need help with homework or assignments, I'm pretty good at that."

[Electra]

Erin shrugged. "It's not a matter of paying back, at least not here and now. If you're going to be a hero, we're going to be working together out there someday. Maybe the stuff I teach you lets you help me in a fight out there sometime, or save someone I can't. Maybe you teach magic to someone who ends up saving my ass. You never know what's going to happen, but having heroes on the streets who are at the top of their game is good for everyone."

She watched him for a few moments, studying how he was bearing up under the current weight. "You'll learn defensive stuff," she told him, "and offensive stuff too. Just getting yourself into a fighting stance where your arms are actually protecting your head is a pretty good start. But the truth is, it's not like in the movies. You can't learn a few tricks and expect to hold your own against experienced fighters even though you've never trained. When you fight hand to hand, your body is your weapon, and without a good weapon, you're screwed." She cracked a smile, added five pounds of weight to the machine. "And you may not think it's hard now, but wait till you see how your arms feel tomorrow."

[Griffalo]

Evander tried not to grimace with effort after she'd added the extra five pounds.

"I'm sure it'll all be worth it in the end," his voice slightly distorted by his tendency at the moment to grit his teeth.

"I guess I never took the long view like you say," he said, frowning a little. "I always assumed it'd be a quid pro quo thing, you know, a favour for a favour. But your way, I like better." A smile. He was warming to her as a person, her demeanour at odds with her tough first impression.

"So, like, what do you do for fun? I know you said you spend a lot of time training, but you got to have some hobbies?"

[Electra]

"Not a lot," Erin admitted, "it's been a busy couple of years. Between training and catching up on my school stuff, even only sleeping twice a week doesn't leave a lot of hours in the day. Especially when you throw in Young Freedom and doing actual hero work. But I like to read sometimes and play video games, and Trevor and I spend what free time we have fixing cars. It's pretty cool, he's done some amazing stuff with my truck. Take a break now," she instructed, looking at his arms and face. "Don't overdo on the first day. Try some of the leg machines next."

[Griffalo]

He nods, shaking his arms out and rolling his shoulders.

"Yeah, video games are pretty awesome, I play a few myself. You got a favourite, or? You read anything good lately? I usually like sci-fi, but I've been reading a lot of history and mythology recently."

He seats himself at the leg press machine, letting her set something appropriate before commencing.

"So, Trevor is your boyfriend? You two been together a while?" He smiles sheepishly. "Uh, just tell me if I'm asking too many personal questions. I tend to just talk and talk to fill up silence."