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[mindtricks]

CHARACTERS: cassandra anderson + you
LOCATION: gym
WARNINGS: none as of yet
SUMMARY: anderson offers self-defense classes. people who need no classes are welcome to come spar.
NOTES:



[ anderson divides the vast majority of her time between gunnery and the gym, where she gives self-defense classes both to people that she has a standing appointment with as well as to those who just wander by and express an interest.

in the moments between lessons, she can be found stretching, or having a go at a punching bag. ]

Comments

[deagle]

[ chris typically comes down to the gyms a few times a week to workout on his own or along with allison. they normally don't spar too intesively—she's still learning and most of his time is spent on instruction—so anderson's offer for a little one-on-one is welcome.

besides, he's been getting a little too reliant on weapons lately. hand to hand would be nice.

he shows up in the plain workout clothes the ship carries a little later than he anticipated. ]

I know it's getting late. [ relatively. this place's time is still strange to chris, but it's his own fault getting caught up. ] You have time for another?

[mindtricks]

[ anderson has only limited munition left for her primary weapon. even with access to others, that is sufficient reminder not to get complacent, not to rely too much on the weapon over herself.

every weapon needs someone sharp and focused to pull the trigger, or it won't do much good.

she's in the ship's uniform; she usually is. it reminds her of the judge's uniform back in mega city one, even if it is less padded. ]

I have time. [ she prefers activity, and she has been giving lessons more than sparring. it'll be good for her, too. ]

[deagle]

[ chris would argue that a hunter—or a soldier, be that the case—is only as good as the tools at their disposal. cunning, tactics, their own bare hands: it all falls into the same category to him. ]

I have to ask, does your ability give you the edge in combat or is it just as susceptible to being overwhelmed as anyone else's mind?

[ it's not accusatory, just genuine curiosity. and, maybe, checking to see if there's a tactic to approaching fighting a telepath. ]

[mindtricks]

Those things are not mutually exclusive.

[ it does give her an edge, but that doesn't mean that it is any less susceptible to being overwhelmed. her mutation means she has more data to go off on, not that she has a greater capacity to deal with it. ]

feel free to do what you need to!

[deagle]

[ chris makes a thoughtful hum at that response, rolling his shoulders and neck a few times. there's a chance he should stretch but in real life situations you don't have the luxury so he doesn't bother. ]

So that's a yes to that latter?

[ it's a bit of a rhetorical question as he steps over her, not giving much time before he swings a fist at her, quick enough to be more or less real but light enough for him to pull if she can't manage to block. ]

[mindtricks]

[ anderson has the advantage of still being warmed up from training and her latest sparring session. it's an advantage, but it also means she's a little less fresh, a little more exhausted — but then, in real life situations you don't have the luxury to only fight when you're fully recharged, so it makes no difference. ]

Yes.

[ and she sees the punch coming a fraction of a second before it actually comes, intent there even if he isn't actively thinking — she doesn't evade, instead blocking it. it's muscle memory more than anything else. ]

[deagle]

[ it's faster than he expects, unsurprisingly. ]

Have you ever fought another like yourself?

[ his smalltalk doesn't skip a beat. that's the thing he may never be able to quote train; what is a fight without intent? he might be able to put that together eventually, but for now he's feeling out anderson's style. so far, it seems passive enough for him to try for another punch, though with anticipation of another block he readies a kick in rapid succession. ]

[mindtricks]

No.

[ she's never even encountered another psychic as strong as she is until she arrived here and met charles xavier, and she has never fought him.

she blocks the second punch as well, evades the kick a moment later though it still clips her side — not hard enough to send her down. she uses the momentum to throw an elbow to chris' solar plexus. ]

wow i effed up that html, my bad

[deagle]

[ he wants her to land a hit, to see the force of it and whether or not she pulls her punches, but his stomach isn't exactly the place for that. chris just barely makes it before her hit connects ( she's fast, that's for sure ) follows through with his block with a wide sweep of his arm, an attempt to knock her off balance. ]

it happens!

[mindtricks]

[ she pulls her punches, but just enough not to leave lasting damage. bruises and scrapes are fair game — training should be as realistic as possible, in that they seem to be of like minds.

he succeeds in knocking her off balance for a fraction of a second before she shifts her weight, rebalances, ducking under his arm and aiming a fist at his head. ]

[deagle]

[ it helps, finding similarities in a sparring partner. though for chris he prefers his fights to be a little more on the side of realistic when an accord is found. how else are you going to be able to handle it out in the world?

with her lost balance, he isn't entirely expecting the punch coming towards his face. she knocks his cheek just above the jaw, hard though not enough to do too much damage. he tastes a tinge of copper and steps back and out of her range to get his bearing back about him. even with the wince of pain, the unhurt side of his mouth curls up, satisfied. that's going to leave a bruise for sure. ]

That's one.

[mindtricks]

[ she's small and has less muscle mass than most people at the hall of justice; she's learned to compensate for that by being fast and resilient. the time she's spent aboard the tranquility training others and sparring has helped, not just in keeping her from getting rusty but in actually becoming better.

she steps back as well, breathing fast but controlled. while shaking out her arms, she doesn't take her eyes off him. ]

Are you looking for a particular number, or just keeping track?

[deagle]

[ being on the ship has left him a little sluggish, a little complacent. or perhaps it's age catching up with him once again, though he tries not to dwell too much on that thought.

when he chuckles it's a little out of breath, but just as controlled as hers. ]

A little of both. [ he takes one deep breath before stepping back into a stands, his fists up. ] Whenever you're ready.

[mindtricks]

( it's been the other way around for anderson, who has been spending more time training aboard the tranquility than she did at home. )

Ready.

( she mirrors his posture for a moment, defensive stance, before shifting her weight, seemingly telegraphing a right hook though the strike, when it comes, a fraction later, is with her left. )

[deagle]

[ it takes him off guard just enough to make his reaction time delayed, blocking at the very last second, her fist clipping his arm. he winces in pain back keeps moving, backing away and taking a few steps around her in a circle. his punch isn't a faint, quick and right-handed, but he drops a moment later and sweeps a kick at her.

he'll count that as two for her. she's fast. ]

[mindtricks]

( make that two to one — she's fast, but not quite fast enough to evade the kick that sweeps at her feet and so she drops to the mat as well, not as controlled as he though she rolls and comes up a moment later, defensive posture mostly intact. )