Let me help you (Rhi-love)

[Anonymous]

Atara loved the training room. For many, many reasons. When the stress of the program threatened to overwhelm, Atara liked to come here and work out. Push herself until nothing else mattered, burn the stress away. Though she did dislike what all the muscle tone did to her figure.

Her pale eyes watched the blond girl hitting a punching bag. Oh, but the very best part was that it was such a good way to meet new people. Her gaze traveled up and down the girls form, curving in all the right places. So soft and lush, Atara's hand slid down to where she normal kept a toothbrush, the end filed down to a sharp point. But she didn't take it with her when she worked out.

The candidate grinned and started over to where the blond was, eyes never leaving her. She had a similar coloring to Atara, just less extreme. Blond hair instead of white, skin not quite as dark, different colored eyes. But it was lovely. And Atara liked that.

"Hi there." Atara gave her a bright smile, keeping a little ways back to not crowd the girl, "You want some tips Gracie? On how to throw a good punch?"

[Rhi-Rhi]

Rachel was so focused on wailing on the punching bag (which wasn't even moving, despite her efforts) that she just about jumped out of her skin when someone spoke up behind her. Her fist hit the bag wrong and she cursed and clutched at her bruised hand, rubbing away the ache and then shaking it out as she turned to face the other girl. "Oww...hi," she said, examining her hand. The knuckles were red and chafed --but so were the knuckles on her other hand. She hadn't thought to wear gloves, thinking she'd just try and tough things out.

Her psychic ability, she'd been told, was in the lowest acceptable range. Rachel took that to mean that she would just have to make up for it in other ways.

Taking a deep breath, panting after her work out, she wiped her forehead with the back of a hand. Eugh, she was sweating like a pig, bangs stuck to her brow, and probably smelled hot right now. Literally. Still she managed to smile tiredly at the other girl, a little embarrassed that she hadn't been alone. Guess she must have looked really pathetic; in her own mind, she'd felt kind of macho.

"Hm? Oh, sure, thanks, that'd be cool. I'm not doing it right?" Rachel reached back and readjusted her ponytail, tucking away some of the hair that had fallen loose.

"I mean, I guess...yeah, I'm probably not. I watched some guys do it but...yeah. Hey, I'm Rachel by the way." She extended a hand, then frowned and drew it back. "Er...we can shake later. I'm kinda gross right now. So, what do I do here?"

[Anonymous]

She was disgusting actually. So sweaty and manish, yet she still managed to look feminine. Atara felt a dark stab of jealousy, though her face stayed friendly. She reached out, taking the girls hand and shook it, running her thumb over the girls abused knuckles, "You weren't that bad. But you are punching like a boy."

Letting Rachel's hand go, she had to resist the urge to wipe it clean, "And really....you are quite silly. Ripping your knuckles open wont make you tougher." She gave the blond girl a bright smile, "Come on, I'll teach you how to wrap your hands."

Sometimes it really was so much more fun to mess with them first. She seemed such the trusting type. They made such wonderful expressions and sounds when she hurt them after that trust was formed. Atara couldn't repress the warm, pleased smile at the thought of it. So much fun to be had.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Rachel tilted her head and raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Punching like a boy? Wasn't that the right way to punch, or was there a special girl-punch? Hopefully if there was it wasn't the flail at each other and scratch kind because that was stupid, even to someone like Rachel who had never been in a physical fight in her life until training here. She wasn't thrilled about learning to fight, she'd rather not because she didn't like pain and didn't like getting dirty--she wasn't gonna lie, she hated this--but if she didn't have a choice...

Well, she'd suck it up and learn it the right way. If her brother could do it, she could do it, and she wasn't going to make this more difficult for herself than she had to. She wasn't like him, resisting every step of the way. She had common sense.

She winced when Atara touched her knuckles, which stung now that she was no longer smacking something, and shook her hand out when the other girl let go. "Yeah...that's probably a good idea. I guess I was kinda hasty," she said, rubbing her hand. "By the way, what's your name? And...aren't I supposed to punch like a guy?"

[Anonymous]

"Come on." Atara stared toward the first aid kit that lived in the gym, "I'll bandage that up and teach you how to wrap your hands to protect them." Atara smiled at the blond girl, "You have really pretty hands, it's a shame to damage them."

It had been hard to not just break the delicate bones. Atara's hands were so huge and manish. Nothing could be done about it and it was so unfair. Taking down the kit, Atara started getting out he supplies she wanted, "My name is Atara. Sorry, you are just such an open book, I already know yours."

Patting the ground next to her, Atara held up a small spray bottle, "You aren't a boy. Your body is built different, so punching like one isn't the most effective thing. Lower center of gravity and all that. Also, don't punch with a fist." She rolled her eyes, "Only actors in movies do that. You'll break your hand. Hit with the heel of your palm."

[Rhi-Rhi]

"It's alright," Rachel told Atara with a smile. "My brother's a Pilot, so...I dunno, I guess the mind-reading thing doesn't creep me out that much. Sorta used to it, kinda came prepared for it. It's not a big deal, right?"

She settled down on the floor next to Atara, cross-legged, and held out her hands as the other girl instructed her, patiently quiet until she was done. "Don't boxers hit with their fists?" She felt stupid right after she said it and grinned sheepishly, ducking her head. Dumb question, she was no boxer. "I mean...right, heel of your palm, got it! That does make more sense, I guess..." Duh, Rachel. This girl was wearing yellow. That was stage four, right? Either way she was higher up and more experienced, so obviously she knew what she was talking about.

Gah, why did she feel guilty for bruising her knuckles now? It was probably the compliment that did it. That, and she'd felt strangely self conscious ever since coming here. Basic training was making her feel out of her league--but she was determined not to suck.

She would be a Pilot.

"Thanks, by the way."

[Anonymous]

"Oh, good!" Atara gave her another friendly smile, "So many of the gracies get so freaked out. And it's hard to not with how much you guys project everywhere." Oh, this one would be fun. So pretty and sweet. And brother was a Pilot. Even better, "Gabriel is your brother?" The thoughts had been easy to read when Rachel mentioned her brother, "Wow. That must make things interesting."

Carefully wrapping Rachel's hand, Atara gave a small laugh. Her movements were delicate and gentle, "Yes. Boxers do punch that way. With special gloves. But you don't really have the build for that. I mean, if you want me too I can teach you to hit that way. But it wont be the best option for you."

It was hard to not stare. Rachel was very pretty and her soft curves were distracting Atara. She knew her eyes were being drawn back to the girls breasts and the curve of her hips and waist. Which wasn't good. She had to keep pulling her eyes back to Rachel's hand, such a pretty shade, close to her own, "Oh, this? Don't worry about it. We have to stick together, ya know? We're all in the same boat and no one wants to fail, right? Besides, gives me an excuse to hold your hand."

[Rhi-Rhi]

Rachel blinked, tilting her head. "You know Gabby?" she asked, then dropped her eyes back down to their hands, watching the other girl work. She flexed her fingers, testing the wrap's tightness around her knuckles, and smiled.

"It's pretty cool, having a Pilot in the family. I guess that's why this feels so..." She pursed her lips. "Not easy, but not scary, either. This whole program, I mean. I've gotten to visit here before, after he made Pilot. Well, not here, but Gabe's place. I met some of the other Pilots, too. It's always just been sorta normal and he's told me a lot of stories, abut candidacy, about being a Pilot...so many of the candidates are stressing the heck out, but I'm just like, 'eh, they're just people...'"

She gave a little start and looked back up at Atara, grinning. "Heh, sorta rambled there. Figured I might as well 'cause you'll just hear it anyway. Anyway! Nah. Teach me the right way to hit. I've no problem admitting I have no idea what the hell I'm doing so I'll take it from someone who does."

Atara's final comment, though, about the hand holding, gave Rachel pause. Wait. Was that...flirting? She couldn't tell and didn't want to jump to conclusions, so instead she laughed. "Haha, riiight, my hero!" she said, pressing her free hand to her chest and fluttering her eyelashes dramatically.

[Anonymous]

"Of him, only." Atara had really hit the jack pot with this one. She was cute and trusting. And the baby sister of a Pilot. How perfect. She could get laid a few times if she played her cards right. Then get to watch the fire works. Nothing was better then some good fire works.

Wrapping the other girls hand up, Atara did her best to focus on her hand instead of her tits, "I wish I had that. I was terrified of all the Pilots." Not for long though. She had some problems, still did, but Atara had quickly learned how to play the game.

"Well, I can teach you some basics. But you don't want to mess your hand up on the bag." She finished wrapping Rachel's knuckles and ran her fingers over it, lifting her large eyes to watch Rachel's reaction, a small smile on her lips, "I aim to please."

Setting the first aid stuff aside, Atara stood up, still holding Rachel's hand, "Here, let's get practicing."

[Rhi-Rhi]

Atara ran her fingers over Rachel's knuckles, and Rachel's eyes widened a little. Ohhh, well then! Looked like that was flirting. It was sometimes so hard to tell with girls, what girls were just being...girls and what girls were actually not totally straight. Raising her eyes back to Atara's, she felt her dark cheeks heat up and then cleared her throat, grinned, and rose to her feet when Atara pulled her up. Well, the girl wasn't bad looking at all; actually, she was quite pretty...

And it's been freakin' ages since I've gotten laid, Rachel thought, glancing down at their interlocked hands. If she was reading the signals right, well heck, she might just cave. Sure she preferred men, but she wouldn't say no to a hot girl, either, especially not after months of being locked up in some military building and too tired most nights to even say hellooo to her hand. Not to mention her dorm-mate made that inconvenient. Little awkward, that.

Aw crap. Focus, Rachel. Practice. Fighting. That was what they were discussing right now, not her suffering libido.

She rolled her shoulders and neck to work out some kinks, popping it, then took a deep breath and looked back to Atara. "Okay! So what first?"

[Anonymous]

Yes! Atara smirked a little. The girl was taking the bait. Leaning forward, Atara pressed her lips close to Rachel's ear, her voice a low whisper, "You know, your thoughts are an open book. I'm glad you think I'm hot though."

Leaning back, her eyes slid over Rachel's figure, her pose relaxed, hip sticking out, "I know how you feel. It's hard to catch some quality time with the hand. And things get so stressful. I'll be happy to help you relax sometime."

[Anonymous]

That...totally didn't answer the question, but okay then! Eyes widening and cheeks flushing, Rachel shivered when she felt lips against her ear and breath on her skin, and even though she'd grown up around a psychic it was still a little shocking to have your thoughts read right back to you. After all, she still wasn't in control of her thoughts and it was hard /not/ to think. "Yeah, I know," she admitted, looking Atara over when she leaned back. "So no point trying to hide what I think, huh?"

Alright, used to it or not, mind-reading was always kind of creepy, but here she was and she supposed she had better get used to to the utter lack of privacy here. But in this case, it wasn't like she minded being read; it was convenient and was doing most of the work for her. Nice.

"Cool...well, the offer works both ways, just so you know," she finally said, not wanting to sound too desperate and deprived. How sad would THAT be, to not be getting any in the land of perpetually hormonal teens all trapped in the same small space together? Pretty damned sad.

Atara gave a small chuckled, oddly deep, “Sorry, didn’t mean to invade your privacy. You are just projecting every where.” She probably would have probed anyway, but Rachel had done all the work for her. And being found pretty thrilled her. It was a rush she felt all the way to her toes.

“Good to know. What’s your room mate situation? I’m all alone if you want to come by tonight.” So many games to play. So much fun to be had. She just couldn’t quite tell what she wanted to do with Rachel yet.

Dropping into an easy stance, Atara punched her hand out, palm first, “You want to punch like this. Use the heel of your hand to connect to your target.”

[Rhi-Rhi]

"Oh, my roommate's gonna be there, so I can swing by your place. Remind me to get your dorm number before I go," Rachel said before she slid into a stance that mimicked Atara's, palm out.

"Like this? Huh. That's not so hard. Oh, hey, is it true that if you break someone's nose like this..." She demonstrated on herself, thrusting her palm up toward the underside of her nose. "...that you can kill 'em? Someone once told me if you hit someone like that, like really hard, it pushes the bone into their brain."

Rachel pulled a face at that thought. Truth be told, it had made her a little extra paranoid of breaking her nose because not only could you end up with a crooked nose, but you could also die! Uncool. Worst way to go, ever.

Well, one of them. It was a couple steps down from getting eaten alive.

[Anonymous]

"For sure." Atara would just lock Aries out if she had too for some privacy. Or, hang up a sheet or something. Whatever. She wasn't shy.

Reaching over, she adjusted Rachel's arm, fixing her elbow, "Like that." Her hand slid down Rachel's back, "Remember, a punches power doesn't come from the arm. It comes from the back muscles. Use that strength."

Atara's lips twitched and she snorted, "Oh my god. You are like, kidding, right? You don't really believe that? No way. I have never heard of that ever happening. So relax, no one is killing you with a nose shot."

[Rhi-Rhi]

Rachel felt her cheeks grow warm and gave a little self-deprecating laugh. “Oh, good. I dunno, I saw it done in a movie once. It seemed a little too easy and weird, ‘cause lotsa people break their noses like that, but…”

She grinned and shrugged, before quickly adjusting her stance again. “You never know?”

[Anonymous]

"I'm sure if you like, hit in just the right way and get super lucky it might be able to happen. But I highly doubt it is common. I've never heard of that actually killing anyone." Man, we're all Gracies this clueless? Had she ever been that clueless?

Atara went through the motions with Rachel, adjusting her posture and stance until the blond had it down pretty well. "Hey, you are doing pretty good. Let's take a break though. Hydration is key. Besides, it's bad for your skin to lose too much moisture."

[Rhi-Rhi]

"Whew..." Relieved at the chance to take a break, Rachel trudged her way over to the drinking fountain and took large gulps of water, splashing some of it on her face and neck to cool down. When she was done, she headed back over toward Atara, leaned back against the wall, and slid down until she was sitting with her knees up.

"Man. It looks a lot easier than it is," she said, swiping her hand across her forehead. "Then again, guess I've never been the most coordinated person," she added with a laugh.

[Anonymous]

"Oh, well, you'll learn." Atara smiled, getting fidgety. This helping stuff wasn't really her. She was an awful teacher, getting frustrated when people didn't get it right away. But the blond did seem fun and Atara liked fun people. She got so bored here.

Reaching over, she brushed a strand of hair out of Rachel's face, "Hey, wanna go do something fun? I'm bored of the gym."