Shop Talk (IC)

[Semi-Autogyro]

Friday January 25, 2013

1400 hours

Claremont Academy Workshop

John easily pushed his motorcycle into the workshop, intending to get some preventative maintenance done before the weekend. He was wearing his 'dirty work' clothes, a jeans and t-shirt ensemble that possessed more stained than clean areas with his sunglasses sitting up on his forehead. He knew that doing this should not take the clone teen much time, which was good, because after he was done here he still had to clean up and make the weekly movie night at Victorias'. Flicking open the kickstand, he left his bike resting on it as he started scrounging the workshop for the needed tools. He had just picked up a belt tension gauge and was reaching for a nearby penlight when he heard thought he heard someone else approaching.

Picking up the penlight, Who would be here on a Friday? Usually it is pretty quiet around this time of week. He mused to himself before succumbing to his curiosity by moving back around to comer to see who else would be here.

[Thunder King]

Mali wasn't an expert on motorcycles, but she knew how to clean one. Dust from the road had gotten all over it, and she intended to wipe it down a bit, clean it up and get it shining again. She'd wash it later, but for now, taking a rag to the components would help a lot. That, and she really needed to learn how to fix them. She had a book with her on motorcycle components. She sat down and began to wipe down her motorcycle, even as she tried to determine what those parts were.

[Semi-Autogyro]

John recognized the familiar height of Mali even if she was sitting on the floor, and shot a friendly half-salute in her direction. "Good Afternoon, Miss Mali. I have to admit, I was not expecting company today." He sat down cross-legged next to his bike, clicking on the penlight as he started to check the state of his ride. "Usually it is pretty quiet around here, since most of the students do not bother with transportation or rely on their powers." Moments later, he realized that he had almost committed a faux pas. He leaded around from behind his bike and gave her bike an appreciative nod. "My apologies. That is a nice ride you have there."

[Thunder King]

"Thanks." Mali said with a smile. If she noticed anything worth apologizing for, she didn't show it, she let the apology show and didn't bother with it. "Yours too." She said, nodding. Motorcycles were something she really enjoyed, though she didn't know that much about them, yet. She'd met John a few times, and in fact, he'd been the first person she'd met when she started going to Claremont. She hadn't seen him much.

[Semi-Autogyro]

"Thank you as well. I am glad that there other enthusiasts on campus." He checked the tension of one of his cables as he continued talking. "I was introduced to the hobby after Victoria gave me an impromptu Steve McQueen marathon. Seemed interesting at the time. How did you start?" John asked idly. In truth since the whole incident a little over a week and a half ago he was getting a bit antsy with how...sedated everyone on campus appeared and it was getting to the point that even he felt the need to somewhat normal conversation to resume between students. Even if he was not suitable at all for that task.

[Thunder King]

"Wanted one ever since I saw one as a little girl, actually. Years later, I ended up learning on a little dirt bike, and once I proved to my dad that I could handle it safely, he let me get one. Trust me, that wasn't easy." She grinned. "Steve McQueen, eh? Classic actor. I love old movies and movie stars. Especially martial arts movies, no matter how silly they are or get."

[Semi-Autogyro]

"Apparently all mt friends think I am a bit old-fashioned when it comes to my taste in things." The teen said with a wry smile. "I was not a much of a fan of those at first. Little bit too much fakery for my taste, even though I enjoy the heroic bloodshed movies like Hard Boiled. Then Morgan threatened to make me watch romantic comedies so I would not have anything to object to." He chuckled, remembering the other Irregulars faces as he stoically endured the sappy movies, seemingly entranced. "Turned out I liked those as well."

[Thunder King]

She laughed. "I can't -stand- romantic comedies. Two people too stupid to tell each other the truth for two hours of forced drama. I like even fake looking martial arts movies...though mostly because it's fun to make fun of bad technique and silly special effects. I find it entertaining when they're that stupid, you know?" She said with a smile.

"John Woo makes some good movies, even though they're also a bit silly."

[Semi-Autogyro]

The blonde nodded in sympathy. "I understand perfectly. At least I managed to stop wincing every time I see poor weapons handling in movies. I assume it is the same with you for martial arts, as you were properly trained in a style." He paused, checking the tension in one of the cables. "I think I nearly choked when I saw a movie with firearms held 'gangsta style'." He actually provided the air quotes, voice dripping with sarcastic contempt. "I thought it was a Hollywood joke until I ran into on the street."

[Thunder King]

"I'm actually grateful whenever I see someone holding a gun like that. It means they have no idea what they're doing with it, and I can take them down without much risk to myself or others." She said with a hint of sardonic wit. "They don't mess martial arts up nearly as bad as they do weapon handling, though. I mean, there are only so many ways to mess up throwing a punch. Still, I see them mishandling melee weapons constantly. I trained in a few weapons, and it's always hilarious to see someone in a movie swing a sword like a baseball bat, or otherwise handle a weapon incorrectly."

[Semi-Autogyro]

"Unfortunately I tend to run into more trained individuals than gang-bangers and the like, but I still occasionally see a flying kicks every once and a while. Granted, most opponents are nowhere near the caliber that I had to fight during the recent incident. But our freelance work is an interesting way to see a whole plethora of styles." He shifted slightly, to reach a hard to get part. "I think the most unusual fighter I have come across was a capoeirista practitioner who used boot knives."

[Thunder King]

Mali winced visibly at the sound of that. "Capoeira...boot knives. Have to give someone like that a wide berth before coming up with a strategy. Have to shut down a capoeirista's momentum down hard or they can do serious damage. Luckily, I have ways of dealing with them, but I'm glad I've yet to have to. That's one of those things you're pretty sure you can do, but aren't certain you want to try. There are a few fighting styles I hope I never run into, though. Aikido is at the top of that list. An Aikidoka could shut me down hard if I'm not extremely careful."

[Semi-Autogyro]

John shot Mali a shark-like smile. "If I had fought fair, I probably would have had some injures. However, I lured him to a narrow hallway and used a flash-bang grenade to disorient him. It was a small matter of dealing with him then." He nodded at the mention of Aikido. "Joint-lock and grappling styles tend to be a pain to deal with, but the majority of the styles that people like us will run into in the field are the more hard styles. Akido and similar styles typically do not go into those lines of work, after all."

[Thunder King]

"Well, yeah, Aikido's not the kind of style most criminals would bother with. Heck, I've rarely fought anyone better trained than an amateur boxer. You'd think if you were planning on risking the ire of a super hero, you'd be better prepared than a solid right hook, but it happens time and time again. I mean, there's desperate, and then there's downright stupid. But, I guess if the criminal element of this city were all that bright, most of them would have moved out of town a long time ago."

[Semi-Autogyro]

John sighed. "Honestly, we are likely to keep running into that scenario. it is easier to gain power with all the numerous shortcuts such as Black Magic, Illegal Tech, and the like. So those will be invariably chosen a more over training which takes time and effort to get results versus instant gratification." He gave an 'eh' gesture. "Though I have heard magic users complain at length about neophytes meddling in things that they should not. So I would hazard that our complaint is more cross-discipline than we think."

[Thunder King]

She chuckled. "Gun, super drug, magic...all the same, really. Give someone a shortcut to power and watch them think they can take on the world. Then they get their heads knocked together and end up losing more than they thought they would. Seen it a dozen times, too. Common sense isn't common, unfortunately. But if those people want to keep taking shortcuts, I'll keep knocking them out with good old fashioned hard work, every time."

[Semi-Autogyro]

"All too true. But you have to admit, there is probably some common sense lacking from our direction for keeping on doing what we do." John pointed out. "Well, and knowing some of our mutual acquaintances I could probably state that as an universal truth as well." He chuckled ruefully. "What was that quote? 'We are all a little mad here?'"

[Thunder King]

"Madness is relative, I mean. Take me for example. Am I a little crazy for being a hero? Probably. But I'm careful, crafty. I sneak, I assess. Then I strike. I don't rush in stupidly. If I had, I wouldn't be alive right now talking. Can't be dumb about it. Have to be careful, have to be crafty. It's the dumb ones that end up dead." She said, matter-of-factly. It was true. She hadn't just trained to fight, but had also trained to sneak and size up her opposition. Have to play it safe, be careful. Can't charge in blindly. That's how you get killed.

[Semi-Autogyro]

"Possessing a survival instinct is intrinsic to a persons' well-being. You have a higher degree of said instinct because you are keenly aware of the consequences of your actions, but sometimes that same instinct can leave a person paralyzed with indecision." He stood, done with the tools he was using. "I have seen that first hand, all to often. Granted, most people cannot ignore their instinctive responses...but sometimes being willing to perform the bold action or make the sacrifice play is better than caution." He returned the tools back to their original locations, and returned with a tire pressure gauge. "Although, I am a bit of a hypocrite where it comes to supporting my mental outlook on things."

[Thunder King]

"I get you. We're all a little crazy for doing what we do." She said with a shrug. His strange statements garnered no reaction from her. After all, she was on a team with an alien, a ghost and a living computer program. Strange was part of her daily bread and butter nowadays. Took a lot to faze her, and nothing he could say would. Especially considering all the stuff that went down around the 15th. That stuff desensitized her to almost everything.

"Life's like that, though. Bold reaction is often better than paralysis in indecision.Kiss the girl or boy, ask someone out, do something bold. Fortune favors the bold, after all."

[Semi-Autogyro]

John laughed as he sat down by his bike. "That might matter if I had interest in any relationships of that nature. My existence is complicated enough as it is and dragging others into that morass is something best avoided." There was a hiss of air as he used the tire pressure gauge. "No sense in taking others down with me."

"You mentioned that your style was weak against Akido earlier. Have you considering expanding your training to shore up the weaknesses inherent in your style? I know some people are purists for their style, but rigidity is a weakness unto itself."

[Thunder King]

"I've studied other things, other styles. I've picked up a few things here and there. I want to be a Muay Thai hero, like my great grandfather, but I know that I don't want to have too narrow a focus. So I try my best to keep things mixed up, different. It works out for me, mostly. I've especially studied takedowns in other styles, as well as watched some SEAL training videos. Anything that makes me better at what I do is a good thing. Even if that means I'm not a pure Muay Thai fighter."

[Semi-Autogyro]

"If you would like I could assist you in that regard. While I am not a pure martial artist, I am familiar with a eclectic range of styles that I have integrated together to best suit my needs." He gave a wan smile. "Besides, having a hidden weapon is always a good idea." John moved to the other tire. "I am also very familiar with military style training, and I probably could figure out a couple of exercises to further assist you. Tactical training on the other hand, well, I have been bothering Headmaster Summers and Mister Archer for quite some time to create a mandatory class for that."

[Thunder King]

"I've learned a lot on my feet, but I'm still learning. I've picked up on some techniques others do, and I've started carrying these chakram and learning how to throw those. I've started trying to train in other areas. Actually I think you would  help me a lot. You seem to be good with training in other ways. Physically I'm fine, it's other areas I need work. If you'd be willing to help, i can probably teach you some more takedowns and such."

[Semi-Autogyro]

John checked his oil level, before turning back to Mali. "Chakrams? Interesting weapon choice, favoring ulility over direct force." He gave a bit of a smirk. "It is true that my repitorie is somewhat limited when it comes to...disabling targets. But my training was more proof of concept than anything else. I am a generalist as opposed to a specialist, which was what my instructors wanted. But I would gladly assist in any instruction you might need or think that I might be lacking in."