Remnants of the Earth
INTO THE PAST => Flashback Threads => Aedolis FBs => Topic started by: Rhi-Rhi on February 18, 2011, 09:47:33 pm
-
Gabriel wasn't looking forward to this.
He really, really wasn't.
It seemed like right after he was getting out of the infirmary for getting his ass (well, kidneys) kicked, he was right back into the ring to get it handed to him by a Pilot. Craaap, this was gonna suck so haaard.
Still, he high-tailed it to the designated gym and made his way inside, scanning the area until he saw the Pilot. Alright. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Time to get this over with, nice and fast like a band-aid on arm hair.
"Candidate Tierney, reporting for training, sir!" he said as he stopped in front of the man and snapped a salute, and then a thought struck him and he decided to take his chances and run with it. "Oh, uh. Before we start, I have a small request, sir," he began gravely, straightening his back and squaring his shoulders.
"Watch the kidneys. I just got over pissing blood and I think I'm set for nightmare fuel for the next year or so, so..." He tried for a perky smile, trying not to remember what blood coming from his parts looked like and realizing he'd gained a certain healthy respect for what chicks had to go through monthly. Eugh. "No kidneys?"
-
So this was one of the ringleaders. Roman had told him what had happened. Damn shame really, how the candidates never seemed to want to get along with each other. Bart slouched, thumbs in his pocket, posture relaxed, "Oh? Really? Well, we'll see, yeah? Now, Tierney, I got ta hear all about yer lovely little display in the lunch room."
Bart shifted, rummaging in his pocket until he found is pack of cigarettes and pulled one out, lighting up. He regarded Gabriel, lightly touching his thoughts, "We're gonna learn ya some hand to hand. What kinnda base ya got in fightin'?"
-
Lovely little display? What? What the hell? Gabriel's eyes widened and he opened his mouth before he could help it. "Whoa, now, what? I didn't start that! That Cross guy was being an asshole and--" Shit. He clamped his mouth shut and bit his tongue before he could say more, clamping down on his kneejerk reaction. "Sorry, sir," he added, sullen.
Well, that was bullshit. Apparently news of what had happened had gotten around and the details had been all distorted! What was Cross telling people? Granted, sure, he'd said some things and said some more things and Alaric had smacked Cross with a tray and he'd started punching Cross, but...still. Asshole had it coming and Sabela had fucked up his kidneys.
His kidneys! Blood had been peed!
Trying not to fume too much, he looked back up at Bart when he spoke. "Er, base? Well, uh, I pretty much got the duck and cover technique covered, sir." Curl into a ball while the bullies punched you. He was a freakin' warrior. "Oh! And I can...punch? I gave a guy a bloody lip once. Sir."
-
Bart gave the kid a warning look when he had his little outburst, though he seemed to catch himself. He would let that go as Tierney had stopped. His response to Bart's question had Bart grinning, "Well, sounds like ya got a real solid base. But, well, we'll make ya into a badass, promise. Then ya can take on those bullies."
He wasn't dumb, he knew Cross and Raley's reputations, but that didn't really give Tierney the right to react the way he did, "Now get ready. We're gonna have a little sparrin' match. Get a feel for ya. I wanna see what ya can do, give ya some hands on pointers."
-
"Uh, sparring? Us, sir?" Eyes wide, Gabriel gave a quick look around the room as though searching out another opponent and then looked back to Bart and flashed an awkward, nervous grin. The guy was huge! There was just no way.
-
"Did I stutter, kid?" Bart grinned, amused by the kids reaction. So fun to tease the little ones. Bart moved over the mats and motioned Gabriel to come closer, "Might be ma accent. Told it's a little strange for most people. But don't worry, I'll go easy on ya the first time."
-
"What? No, sir. You were clear, sir!" Cautiously, Gabriel moved closer to Bart. It was one thing to get jumped by bullies, but quite another to go willingly walking right into a fight, sparring or not. Alright, so maybe he wasn't being fair; he'd started a lot of fights just by mouthing off but that was different. In principle. Or something.
He stood stiffly, planted his feet, and watched Bart warily, not quite sure what he was supposed to do and unclear on what to expect. The way everyone talked about this, like this was a huge punishment, he had come to anticipate the worst. Yet this guy didn't seem so bad...
-
"Come on son. Don't just stand there lookin' at muh pretty face." Bart dropped into an easy, relaxed stance, one hand holding a rolled up magazine he had brought along just for this, "Show me how ya fight."
-
Err...Gabriel glanced curiously at the magazine, then at Bart, and took a deep breath as he tried to mentally prepare himself. Sparring with a Pilot. Hoo boy. "Uh. Okay." Another deep breath. "Right. Here goes."
He lunged forward at the Pilot and swung a punch at the man's ribs--but the action was hesitant, timid, non-committal. While Gabriel had defended himself against people before, he'd never really been on the offensive. And it was made that much worse by having to attack a Pilot. Decent or not, the guy was big and intimidating.
-
Bart used his free hand to bat Gabriel's hand away and smacked him hard across the top of his head with the magazine, "That ain't gonna hit shit boy. Yer wide open like a two credit whore. Get serious or I'll kick the shit out of ya."
-
"Ow!" Gabriel rubbed his head and stepped backwards, scowling at Bart. Okay, so it hadn't hurt that bad, but stung enough! With a huff of agitation--and with a glare Bart's way--he got into position again. "I am being serious! How am I supposed to hit you?"
-
"Donno. Better work that out, huh?" Bart grinned, the paper held at ready. He would give the kid some actual technique building later, but for now, he wanted to see what he had in him. See how well he adapted and learned. Besides, making sure they realized how little they actually knew was helpful when going over the basics.
-
Gabriel scowled back at Bart. The guy was having way too much fun with this. With an agitated sound, he went for Bart again--or rather, he lunged for the magazine he was holding. Hey, when all else failed, go straight for the source!
-
Bart turned lightly, using the magazine to shove Gabriel along in the direction had lunged in, getting him off balance. He lightly wacked the back of his head, "That all ya got? Man, no wonder ya got yer ass kicked in that fight."
-
"Gah!" Gabriel stumbled and nearly ate the mat but managed to hop and catch his balance--just in time to get whacked in the head. Spinning around and rubbing the back of his head, he glared at the Pilot.
"No, that's not all I got," he grumbled, though his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Now he just felt awkward and way too clumsy, but he knew if he just stood there, he'd get smacked again. Taking a deep breath, he ducked low and went for Bart's waist, an attempted tackle. Not that it would do much; the guy was built like a brick wall to his twig.
-
Kid had guts, that was good. Bart grinned, "Good good." He let Gabe tackle him, though he didn't do much more than grunt lightly when the kid slammed into him, "Now what's your plan there kid?"
-
Plan?
"Uh..." Arms locked around Bart's waist, Gabriel glanced up at him. Yeah. That was the plan. "Er...try...to...bri ng you down?"
-
"Ah, well, how's that workin' out for ya?" Bart wapped Gabe again with the magazine.
-
Gabriel grimaced at the whack and shoved at Bart, trying to push him off balance. "It's, uh...it's a work-in-progress..."
-
"Well, gonna give ya a tip kid. Go a bit lower. Yer not in the same weight category as I am. Should have tried to go for my knees."
-
...Oh. Well then!
Gabriel released Bart then and tried again, going for his knees this time as instructed. Dammit, but the guy had smacked him enough with that freakin' magazine that he was determined now. It was the principal of the matter!
-
Bart actually let him connect this time and he went down. And then promptly flipped Gabe onto his back and twisted his arm behind him in a hold, "There ya go! Gettin' better alraedy!"
-
Hah! Got him! Grinning, Gabriel exalted in a brief moment of victory before, with a surprised cry, the world suddenly turned upside down and he landed on the mat with a grunt. And then Bart was on him, twisting his arm back, and he let out a yelp and started to squirm and kick. "Ow! Ow! Hey!"
-
"You callin' uncle then?" Bart grinned, "Ya got some spunk, I'll give ya that."
-
Gabriel glowered at Bart, then aimed a kick at him, if a sloppy, untrained one. "Ow, yeah, uncle! Unless ya wanna tell me how the heck to get out of this!"
-
"Not yet. This is a basic class." Bart took pity and smacked the kick away, standing up after letting Gabe's arm go, "Well, now, how do ya think ya did? Got an ideas what yer doin' wrong?"
-
It was a relief when Bart let go, because it felt like he'd been about to break his arm. With a small groan, Gabriel sat upright on the mat and rubbed at his shoulder, rolling it to work the tightness out. He gave Bart a bland sort of 'do you really have to ask?' look in response to his question.
"I think I did pretty terrible," he muttered, frowning down at the mat. "Uh, you're bigger and more experienced and I kinda don't know what I'm doing, so..."
-
"That's a start." Bart grinned, ruffling the kids crunchy hair, "No worries kid. Ya actually didn't do too bad. Ya just got ta learn some stuff. That's what I'm here for."
-
Gabriel tried to duck from the hair ruffle but was too late. But before he could complain about it, what Bart said made him blink in surprise. "That wasn't too bad?"
Alright, so he was feeling a little sour about the whole thing. After getting owned in the cafeteria, it wasn't the most awesome feeling to get thoroughly schooled again. Granted, this one was a Pilot and they could make anyone cry, but still! It was a matter of pride.
And right then, sitting there on the mat, he had no idea how he'd ever get to be Bart. A Pilot. Badass and amazing when all he'd ever aspired to be was, well...a geek.
-
"You'll get there no problem." Bart smiled, hard to miss the chaotic thoughts the untrained ones tended to project everywhere, "Just takes practice. And a good way to start is buildin' up that frame of yours."
He held out a hand, "Come on up. We'll get ya punchin' a dummy for a bit. In no time, I'll have ya able ta kick the shit out of any candidate that tries ta mess with ya."
-
Grasping Bart's wrist, Gabriel hauled himself to his feet and dusted off his pants. "Think so? That'd be awesome." On his feet again, he stretched his arms over his head and arched his back until it popped.
"You know some chick actually got me in the kidneys? Like, kneed me. Repeatedly. I peed blood, sir. That was so not fun, so yeah, I'll punch a million dummies to avoid a repeat."
-
"Ooooh. Ouch. I've had that happen." Not quite the same way, but close enough Bart could sympathize, "Come on. First, let's warm you up a bit. Know how to stretch your arms?"
-
"Yeah? What happened?" Gabriel asked, suddenly curious. All he knew about Pilots was what you saw on TV, and they didn't really go into detail about their mishaps. They'd seemed like...superheroes. Something more than human.
At Bart's question, he nodded. "I think so? I did take gym, but that was just like...dodge ball and running laps and stuff." Gabriel stretched an arm over his chest and hooked his other arm under it. "Like this, right? And then the ones sorta over your head and behind your back?"
-
"Like that. Do them until you feel nice and limber." Bart chuckled, hooking his hands into his belt loops, "Oh man. Which time? Well, lesse. I was a candidate and I ain't never been real big on bullies. Some kid was gettin' pushed around and I just had ta be the big old' hero, ya know? Well, there were a lot of them and one of me and I ended up gettin' held down and some guy thought it would be fun to kick my back. Hit the kidneys a few times."
-
Gabriel stretched while Bart spoke, trying to imagine him as a candidate and failing. When the story got to the beating up part, he winced sympathetically. "Ooh...yeah. That's sorta how it went down with me, too. Helping a friend. Didn't go that well for us."
He frowned, letting his arms drop once he'd finished stretching them out. "A lot of candidates are assholes."
-
"Oh yeah. Lots of people are assholes, that's the problem." Bart motioned Gabriel to follow, heading over to a punching bag, "Now, when ya punch, the power comes from your back, not yer arms. And don't punch with yer knuckles. This ain't a boxin' match."
Bart held out his hand, the heel forward, "Like this." He slammed his hand into the bag, rocking it back, "Now you try."
-
Gabriel stared at the bag, rocking back and forth, and then grinned. "Ahhh, sweet, a palm strike! Just like in martial arts films!" He could do that! Which was good, because the one time he'd actually tried to punch someone with his knuckles, he'd nearly broken his hand.
He rolled his shoulders in preparation and, when the bag had finally stopped swinging, he stepped up to it and took a deep breath. Holding his hand out, he took aim, drew back, and put his whole body into the motion as he struck out as hard as he could--
His hand thumped against the bag, which didn't budge an inch, and he let out a hiss and shook out his hand, palm stinging. And then he just stared at the bag in dismay. Okay, while he hadn't expected the bag to swing like it had with Bart, this was just embarrassing. "For cereal? C'mooon!" he groaned, and punched the bag again.
-
Bart let out a quick burst of laughter before he quickly contained it, "Good try kid. Alright, try again." Moving closer, Bart adjusted Gabriel's stance a little, "Now, stop swingin' yer fist. Yer still tryin' ta get the power from yer arm. It's all in yer back. Try again."
-
Ha ha, funny. Gabriel frowned at Bart but adjusted his stance as directed and gave it another shot, turning into the punch this time and throwing his frustration into it. The bag didn't move much, but this time it at least moved, and Gabriel shook out his hand and and shot Bart a look. "Like that?"
-
"Yeah, you'll get it. Let's do a few more. It's gonna hurt til ya build up a tolerance." Bart then spent the next solid hour making Gabriel punch. This was punishment after all.
-
It was fun at first, if a little aggravating--but soon it just became painful, and now his hands felt numb, save for some throbbing and stinging. As soon as he was done, he leaned back against a wall and rubbed his hands to try to ease away the sensation.
Groaning, he tilted his head back against the wall. "I can't feel my hands."
-
"Yup. Not surprised." Bart grinned and grabbed his water bottle, taking a long drink, "Better work on not gettin' them bruised so much."
-
Gabriel just stared at Bart after that, eyebrows raised. "What? Er...how exactly do I do that?"
-
"Well, gotta toughin' them up a bit, learn ta hit better. It gets easier with time." Bart held out the bottle to Gabe.
-
Gabriel took the bottle and chugged down more than half of it, pausing only for air. Bart's words sent a little wave of worry coursing through him. "Are we...doing more of this today?"
His knuckles would explode if he had to hit anything else.
-
"Today? Naw. We're gonna let yer knuckles heal up a little. But that don't mean we're done trainin'." He clapped Gabe on the shoulder and grinned, "Still plenty we can do."
-
Gabriel deflated.
"There's more?"
-
"Oh sure!" Bart grinned, "Weights to lift, miles to run. This is a punishment son, or did ya forget that. Now up ya go."
-
Gabriel gave a low groan, a crushing look of despair crossing his face. "Miles?" He'd never run a mile in his life! Well, alright, so he ran the monthly mile for gym but half of it wasn't so much running as it was walking very fast. He was thin only because he had a good metabolism--but he wasn't fit, either, with scrawny muscles.
"I know it's a punishment but I didn't know it was an execution," he mumbled. Bart was gonna kill him!
-
"Now now. Don't go challengin' me like that." Bart smiled, hands hooked in his belt loops, "Now, lets get those muscles built up or you'll never pass."
Bart turned and headed off, heading toward the track, "Come along. Next time kid, be smarter about yer fights. Then ya wont have ta come hang out with me."
-
Gabriel groaned, reluctantly trailing after Bart.
"Be smarter about it? But...what was I supposed to do? Just take it? The things he was saying about Alaric..." He frowned, glowering at Bart's back.
-
"Now, I didn't say that, did I? No, I said be smarter about it. Pick yer battles and pick the when and where." Bart held open the door that led to the track. It was a nice day and they could somewhat feel the sun on them at this level, "Now, ya ready ta run? Hope ya know how ta pace yerself."
-
Gabriel stared out at the track, and whatever wind was left promptly fled his sails. He looked up at Bart and smiled hopefully. "If I said no, would I get out of it?"
-
"Naw, but I'll laugh at you."
-
"Gee, thanks, sir. That's super encouraging, sir." With another long sigh, Gabriel rolled his shoulders back then headed out onto the track like he was walking to the gallows.
-
"Did ya forget the whole punishment part? This ain't a joy ride kid. Now cheer up and get runnin'. It ain't the end of the world and think of how good yer gonna feel when ya finish."