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Valeria:
Valeria was at the Gym with Guy, training in the art of...well, in her words being a badass, in his, probably something far more dignified like "Martial Arts". For him it probably was an art form, for her she was a bit reckless, and was clearly trying to show off how cool she was. Which, against a 500 year old soldier, meant it was pretty easy to outmaneuver her.
Guy:
You ever fight a kid sibling, or cousin, or nibling? And they’re mostly actually trying and you’re just playing? That’s a bit what it’s like for Guy sparring with Val. It’s like he can see her moves coming a mile away, and all his motions are too exact, too effortless, too powerful. She can tell he’s taking things easy on her, but he never stops giving her advice about her technique.
“A strong punch,” he says in the soft, steady, and clear voice he uses in all their training sessions, neatly diverting the blow with his elbow and pulling the returning blow from his other hand before it hits her. “But you’re overextending your mass, leaving your face and knee and groin open.”
Valeria:
And just like a kid sibling, she was getting a tad frustrated. She never even got close and she knew it.
"I got no other chance to hit you though! You're so fast." She tries to step inside his guard and throw an elbow.
Guy:
Guy grins and simply grabs Val’s elbow before it can connect. “Aggression and ferocity are good. It’s been a bitch to get you to actually try to hurt me. But you can’t let it make you sloppy.”
Valeria:
She shakes her head.
"Well when I realized I physically cant it got way easier."
She backs off, shaking out her hands before getting in the stance again.
"Alright fine. I wont be sloppy."
Guy:
He twists and plants a hand as he sends a kick scything up at her head, a grin on his face.
Valeria:
She braces, taking the hit dead on but not even flinching. She retaliates with a kick towards his midsection, getting super close but still not close enough.
Guy:
Guy rolls to evade her return kick, pushing off the ground so he spins up onto his feet. But, too fast and fluid, it looks like he’s spinning around and stuff underwater at the pool, sped up. “That was good. Clean take, snappy response.”
Valeria:
She lets out a deep breath.
"Yeah but I was prepared for that."
She shakes out her arms once more, advancing herself towards him. Staying a bit more defensive.
"I'll be amazed if I ever get a hit off on you."
Guy:
“There’s always a chance, and that’s not really the point anyway. You’re getting better every session, remarkably so.”
Valeria:
"It sure feels like the point. I feel like I'm dancing two inches away from an impromptu nap."
She smiles at the praise. "You think so? I'm a pretty quick learner."
Guy:
“I meant hitting me isn’t the point, you getting better is. The pressure of me swinging back sometimes keeps you sharp.”
He nods. “Yeah. It normally takes years to get as good as you are.”
Valeria:
"And bruised." She dryly remarks. "Makes me look like a badass though."
She straightens up, going in for another kick to his leg.
"Its athletics. I have the control from all the gymnastics. Plus the muscle base and a great teacher."
Guy:
“There’s rhythm and muscle memory too, but yes, you have a good start on things,” he answers as he simply kicks her in the hip as a way to get his leg out of the way of her, not bothering to put enough oomf in it to actually hurt.
Valeria:
She grumbles at the kick in the hip, switching back to upper body and attempting a one-two punch.
"I'm glad this is good."
A nod as the bout continued.
"I met with Sturm, passed off that letter. And one to Maddy too. Well, at least left it at the Wafflehouse, so I hope it got to her."
Guy:
“Oh? How that go?” He slips her punches and moves to the side, shoving her off balance but not following up with an attack.
Valeria:
"I hope good? Dunno yet. Doubt Teagan likes me anyway."
She curses as she loses balance, trying that whole hand on the ground scythe kick and kicking towards his head in return, but not having anywhere near the balance.
Guy:
“Mmm. Sure, but Teagan liking you isn’t the point. Sturm’s good, if she talked to you, she talked to you solid.”
He grabs her leg to keep her from tipping over entirely, then lowers so she can recover without flopping on the floor and getting back up. “That move is easily with superhuman upper body strength,” he says with a smile.
Valeria:
She grunts at being stopped, doing a pushup to get back to her knees. Shaking her head.
"I can do a handstand pretty easily, thought I'd get it."
Then back to her hands.
"I know its not the point, still feel bad for Liv's boss...? Something or other being mad at me. Sturm seemed pretty chill though. Talking to her wasn't that hard despite the topic."
Guy:
“Yeah, well. He’s never gonna like you much, and there’s nothing you can do about that unless you walk away from the life. So.” He shrugs.
Valeria:
She folds herself from a handstand back to her feet.
"And that's not gonna happen...I hope."
Guy:
“Hope? It’s your choice. I’d think if you made it, it would be because you wanted that.”
Valeria:
"Mmm yeah fair. I don't want that though. I like being a part of all this."
She gets back into a fighting stance, she's nowhere near tired, but has likely taken a knock or 8.
"And I get to learn cool stuff like this and protect people."
Guy:
“I know,” he says softly, slipping into a fighting stance of his own. He launches two feinting jabs, the follow up straight backed by a snapping rotation of his body and kick off from his back foot, so he snaps into range far faster than expected.
Valeria:
She follows the feints easily enough, but is surprised by the jump and doesn't get her hands up in time, and gets knocked onto her ass. Like many with high Stamina due to Resilience, it was like hitting a truck, but she was knocked onto her ass.
"Ow, fuck." She wipes her nose, now bloody. "Bit fast that time." She gets back to her feet though, like a champ.
Guy:
He smiles. “That’s the general idea. Throwing mass around and catching it.” He snaps back and forward again, impossibly light on his feet, and then offers his hand to her. “I bet you could pick it up in no time.”
Valeria:
She takes the hand, still wiping off the blood.
"Mmm fuck. Can I call for a break? I need a paper towel."
Guy:
“Sure thing. Come on, let’s get you something for that,” he says as he takes her by the shoulder with his other hand and hauls her up. “You use Resilience to take that? Because it’s gonna be a bitch to get it to stop bleeding.”
Valeria:
She pinches her nose and leans her head forward so that it doesn't drain into her throat. She was a trauma nurse's daughter, and it showed in her medical knowhow.
"Thought about it. Nah I didn't, but I almost did. I know you wouldn't hurt me bad though."
Guy:
He nods and goes to get some paper towels. “I would warn you. And even then, I wouldn’t hit you the hard way.”
Valeria:
She nods, accepting the paper towels when they get there to pinch her nose instead. It makes her voice a bit funny.
"Appreciate it. Should I have used resilience there?"
Guy:
“Mmm. Probably not. Real fights are another matter, but a few bruises from practices is good for you, and more Vitae efficient. You can still heal the old fashioned way.”
Valeria:
"Yeah that's why I uh...didn't. Didn't want to take away Vitae from you. This should stop in like...5-10 minutes to be honest."
Her voice was still a bit funny due to the plugged nose, and the fact she had her chin to her chest.
Guy:
He nods. “Good. But I think we can be done for the night anyway. Even if your body doesn’t mind the long workouts, your mind needs time to process things. No need to over tax it.”
Valeria:
She lets out a sigh of mild relief.
"Aight, coolcoolcool. Sounds good."
She starts stretching out of habit, all the same ones she does for gymnastics...at least the ones she can do with one hand.
"Thanks Guy. You're the best."
Guy:
“Just doing the most fun part of my job,” he says with a smile.
Valeria:
She takes a second to check her nose, sniffling a bit.
"Kicking my ass you mean?"
She answers with a grin.
"I mean...I think I'm doing better? I just kinda...ran with what felt natural up to actually getting training from you. Now I feel like a badass...which is hard to say with a bloody nose."
Guy:
“Badasses get bloody noses all the time, it’s how you know you’re keeping sharp,” he says with a wink. “You’re doing well. You’ve got sharp instincts for moving your body, and that goes a long way.”
Valeria:
She nods, considering.
"Hey, I'd rather go with that angle, 100%. I just hope its enough for whenever a scuffle does happen, ya know?"
She throws out the first paper towel, grabbing a second to wipe her nose a bit better, it was already stopping from bleeding. She was shifting slightly on her feet, glancing at him. She bit her lip and held back a question.
Guy:
“Yes, Val? Something burning to get out on the air?”
Valeria:
She bites her lip.
"It uh...its been another month and I'm trying to not like...I dunno, not ask outright which now that I'm saying it is kinda dumb. I'm down a Vitae and uh...could use one..and I'll help you hunt if you need. Just..." She takes a minute. "Jeez I sound like an addict...I mean I am I just..." She was rambling at this point.
Guy:
He smiles slightly. “I don’t mind helping you top off, Val, I know that you’re going to use Vitae to maintain this state. I appreciate you not wanting to be a drain, and to pace yourself, but it doesn’t have to be a big deal to talk to me about it.”
Valeria:
She sighs, nodding.
"I guess uh...I just don't want to sound like an addict about it. But I hate not being topped off."
Guy:
He nods, and walks over to touch her shoulder. “I get that. But I’m not judging you, ok? I know what it feels like.”
Valeria:
She nods, finding a spot to sit.
"Thanks, Guy. Um...can I?" She points to his wrist.
Guy:
He smiles and bites his wrist, then offers it to her.
Valeria:
She takes a deep breath and pulls his wrist to her mouth, drinking greedily. Her eyes roll back in her head and she drinks more than what she would need to stay a ghoul for a month.
Guy:
Guy smiles to himself, and doesn’t stop her, letting her top off her supply.
Valeria:
She eventually stops, eyes closed in contentment. She slowly inhales, nodding slowly as the feeling slowly leaves her.
Guy:
“Get some rest, recover. Talk to you soon, yeah?”
Valeria:
She opens her eyes, holding up a finger.
"I feel a bit weird, stronger maybe? Anyway...I did have another thing to ask you if you have a moment."
Guy:
“Oh? Sure. I don’t have anything pressing. What did you want to talk about?”
Valeria:
"Uh, you remember how we talked about the Ordo Dracul a while ago and kinda...got busy?"
She bites her lip nervously. "Is it still an option for me to join as uh...I forget what words you used, but to help out? I met Daniel and Flo and they both seem chill so...3 for 3 and I like the vibes and everything and wanna help out where I can there. And I know like...I don't get to know all the stuff, but just sticking on the outside seems cool."
Guy:
He looks at her a moment, then nods. “I’ll arrange things. Let you know when to swing by so you can sign up all officially. I’ll be your sponsor, and if you join fully you’ll be something like an apprentice under me.”
Valeria:
"Hell yeah...I mean thank you." She nods. "Am I not...already basically an apprentice anyway? Especially if I'm embraced."
Guy:
“I mean, yes, but I meant formally, in the Order, not just between us.”
Valeria:
She nods.
"Gotcha, gotcha. I'd like that, thank you, Guy. You're the best."
She smiles.
"Uh...guess I'll go shower and pass out then, thank you."
Guy:
“Have a good night, Val, talk to you soon,” he says with another smile, before heading out.
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