savetheearth | [closed] think of how the world must look

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[closed] think of how the world must look

WHO: Banagher Links (

argents) & Regina Akamine (

acequeen)
WHEN: Backdated to Saturday the 21st, evening
WHERE: The dojo
WHAT: He asked for some help to not be a creampuff, so training!

[ When Regina told him not to be late, Banagher pretty much took it to heart.

So he's a little early, standing outside the dojo and studying its squat, neutral exterior intently. Though now it's become more of a convenient place for his eyes to settle while he tries to anticipate how this'll go. He's nervous, admittedly, and not really because he knows Regina could probably toss him seven ways 'til Sunday, but because this was a step towards figuring out just what his power meant. Beyond the incorporeal, even. There was more to it, and he knew that instantly, the moment he'd been able to save himself from a would-be tragic bicycling accident while he was stepping off a bus because he'd sensed it (thank god) — but this was the first time he'd specifically sought out a way to know more.

Granted, the more he looks at it, the more he realizes that he's never actually been to a place like this. He'd never even gone to the gym, let alone a real dojo, so he's curious about what it looks like on the inside, too. Like the movies, maybe? ]

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[Sure enough, Regina is also early — 10 minutes earlier than what's scheduled from her text conversation with Banagher. In fact, she's actually inside the dojo after a quick inspection of the place, making sure the equipments are pushed aside and the mats are neatly placed in specific spots, just in case she does a little rough up or two.

Which happens often since she doesn't usually hold back. Oops.

Her thoughts soon linger upon the strange pink lights that she saw just an hour or so ago, bringing her to mind the time her hair turned dark red. To think such a phenomenon can do so, but she'd be lying if she thought things couldn't turn stranger, and this prompts her to gaze upon the wing-like USB drive hung around her neck. How that materialized so quickly after she watched the pink light baffles her to the core, along with the images that went along with it. A robot with a monster claw, how she used that device to blow up part of a mountain and—

There's a quick gasp escaping from her throat as Regina shifts her glance over at a nearby watch, then walks quickly towards the door, slight alarm over her face. Banagher might be arriving at any moment, and she expects him to show up! Strange idle thoughts will have to be pondered later; training comes first.

She pokes her head after opening the door, and sure enough, she sees the boy right outside. Relief graces her features as she waves him over once she opens the door wide to let him in, smiling a little.]

Oh, there you are! About time you showed up, now come on in.

[ When the door rattles open on its track, he nearly jumps, not having expected her to already be inside. After a vague look of alarm, he offers up a smile in greeting. It's a little strained, but otherwise genuine. Looks like he's down one already, isn't he? ]

You're so early! Here I was thinking I'd beat you here.

[ But the stars clearly didn't align in his favor. (Granted, he's had about all the stars he can currently stomach for one day, thanks to the lights.) But he's done well enough in crushing it down to the corners of his mind, thinking that he wasn't going to get anywhere fast by dwelling. At least not today. Following her towards the doorway, he pauses just short of stepping in. ]

You're not allowed to wear shoes in here, right?

Hey, I had to get there early somehow. Who else would set these up?

[Okay, so she might be chuckling under her breath just the slightest bit at the surprise, but it subsides the moment Banagher enters inside, and she jabs her thumb at the direction of the mats on the floor. At the question, she shrugs her shoulders, lifting a sock-clad foot out to prove that, yes, she's definitely not wearing any shoes on. Cue her pointing the pair of boots off to a corner.]

Japanese tradition dictates that you take them off when you're inside a building.

[The corners of her lips quirk a little as she steps off to the side.]

I wouldn't have minded helping out!

[ Especially since he kind of considers this a favor. Banagher pauses to shuffle his sneakers off before he steps inside once she confirms his suspicions. ]

That's — [ He pauses to hop on one foot and tug his shoe off. ] what I thought! I wanted to make sure though.

[ Once he's down to his socks, he finally moves in to set his shoes beside Regina's. Then he takes a lingering glance around the boxy interior of the structure, stepping onto the mats to get a feel for the spring in them. ]

...This is really cool.

You've never been to a place like this before, huh?

[Regina walks next to Banagher with both hands resting against her hips, scanning her surroundings with faint interest before eventually stepping on to the mats. It's one thing to teach someone how to fight who seems to know the basics, but it's a whole other thing when it comes to a person like this guy over here.]

But you're right, it really is. I've been here a few times before when I need to clear my head.

[Not usually up for idle chatter and revealing part of her routine, but somehow, she'll make today an exception.]

Yeah? [ He looks straight up, thoughtfully, not really noting her decision to share as anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it's something he takes for granted, the idle chit-chat he just sort of makes without thinking, but it'd be weird for him not to, all the same. ] That's not hard to imagine.

[ When he breaks away from her side, it's sort of slowly. Aimless, yet somehow tense. ]

Sorry, that you're going to have to deal with a total rookie. I was one of those kids who didn't even get to take karate.

[Rookie or not, Regina simply shrugs, idly gesturing over to the spot they're in while she paces around. She'd teach anyone if they really want to learn, and Banagher seems eager to have lessons, albeit more subdued.]

Eh, it's no big deal. Just as long as you pay close attention to your movements and where you tuck in your fingers. Even newbies can learn something simple.

[As a quick demonstration, she lifts up one of her hands, balling it into a fist with her thumb pressed right against the curled digits.]

Like I said before, I haven't even had to pay close attention for a while to be... faster, I guess. It's all really subconscious.

[ Banagher watches the practiced roll of her fingers into a fist, and lifts his own, looking at the lines of his palm for a moment before following suit and mimicking her. ]

But not knowing is as bad as not trying to know somehow.

[Meanwhile, Regina glances with slight appraisal at the way Banagher forms his fist, then nods in quick approval once she deems the form "worthy" enough.]

They say "ignorance is bliss", but there's nothing blissful about being left in the dark, that's for sure.

[There's a tilt of her head as she cups her chin with a hum, then straightens up the wrist of her balled fist.]

Also make sure to keep it straight, unless you're aiming to hit someone by the sides.

I think so too. Besides, it's not like idioms work that well when you know better...

[ Unfortunately, the situation's made him somewhat spacey when it comes to overthinking, and he glances over sharply at her correction. ]

Oh, right! Sorry. [ He adjusts accordingly, without the finesse that comes from years of practice. ] ...'By the sides'?

[She moves her hands back on her hips once more, quirking an eyebrow at him expectantly.]

You know, when someone is trying to attack you from either of your sides, and then you swing your arm on either the left or right, depending on where you're blocking.

[A brief pause as she approaches next to him.]

Or where your opponent is located.

I don't know, actually.

[ Which is an honest enough admittance on his part; he had never even been in so much as a schoolyard brawl. Now, the difference in their life experiences was painfully apparent. This wasn't at all something that came naturally.

But he didn't come here to start dwelling on it. He came here to learn, and adjusts the lean of his arm accordingly. ]

So, like this?

[There's a quick pursing of her lips as she inspects Banagher's arm, then after a second or two, she carefully lifts it up a few inches.]

There. I think that's better now.

[Moving her hand aside, a thought instantly occurs to her as a smirk quickly forms on her lips.]

Ready to test it out?

[Because she thinks it's time for him to learn some real punching moves.]

Edited 2013-10-14 21:04 (UTC)

[ Banagher follows the line she sets, paying attention to detail: the height, the tilt of his wrist, and the angle it's supposed to make along his arm from his shoulder. If he's grateful for anything, it's that being a Newtype (whatever that actually meant) did wonders for how spatially aware of himself he could be.

Though you'd never guess it, from the somewhat alarmed look on his face. ]

Test it...?

[ ALREADY? Okay no, no backing down. Keep on your toes, Banagher. Now or never. ]

I mean, alright! Let's go for it!

Come on!

[The alarmed look on Banagher's face only evokes a small laugh out of Regina, like she's expecting surprise on his end, which is natural since this is his first foray into self-defense basics. At any rate, she gestures with a wave of her hand as she strolls over to a nearby punching bag.

Baby steps first. She'll make sure he knows how to aim and punch before testing it out on her. With a casual jab of her thumb at the direction of the bag, she grins.]

All right, so you now know how to form a fist. This bag will be your first opponent, so let's see how you fair against it first.

[ Following suit, he lines up in front of the punching bag, actually calmed by her demeanor rather than rattled by it. Drawing from positivity always ended up more natural for him — subconscious, almost. ]

Right. First thing's first.

[ Banagher lifts his arms again, assuming the position she'd corrected him to fairly easily. He had that down, but throwing a punch itself was a different beast, all together...

After a moment or two of charged concentration (where he's most likely concentrated on all the wrong aspects of what he's trying to do) Banagher throws a punch at the bag. It connects, though not very strongly, and off-center.

Which is to say

IT'S NOT VERY IMPRESSIVE gj, hero. ]

...That thing's heavy!

[Welp.

She blinks once, then twice, and then a slight cock of her head from one side to the next in the most characteristically confused gesture. Banagher can at least form a proper punch (that's as much credit as she'll give him), but as to where he aimed it and how the bag didn't even swing from side to side, Regina can only do one other thing...

And that is to smack her palm against her forehead with some slight twitching of her eyebrows. She's got a lot of work cut out for her, it seems.]

Banagher! It's not that heavy.

[Easy coming from her, but not from him. Oops.]

[ Banagher winces when she barks his name. He had that coming. ]

It is when you've never hit one before!

[ Or you know, anything else, up to and including faces. Reassessing his current circumstances and the look on her face telling him everything he needed to know about how pathetic that was, he squares himself in front of the punching bag again. His expression tightens, a little more determined than before. ]

Wait, wait. I wasn't that into it that time. Let me try again!

Oh come on, even a rabbit can hit that hard!

[Regina lets out a faint scoff, albeit one that clearly shows she's kidding. The determined glance Banagher puts on doesn't escape her notice, and seeing that he's willing to give it another try, she nods, rubbing the spot on her forehead that she smacked on a few seconds ago.]

Okay, okay. Make sure to give it your all this time.

My all, got it.

[ And he does! Or he thinks he does. Even if he doesn't, he has to be able to think as though he does. Banagher mouth sets into a tense line, even when his posture settles into itself, and how she'd taught him to hold his arm.

Taking a breath, he centers his weight and stares at the center of the punching bag. Visualizes where his fist would fall, if he lunged now. That's what ultimately sends him forward again, the spark that flares up in his mind that isn't dependent on if he lunged, but on the act of lunging itself.

Propelling himself forward, leagues more steady on his feet, he throws a punch that mimics hers well enough, landing a centered hit on the punching bag. It's still not a hard hit, but the bag rattles on its chains. ]

...Did I —?

[Regina keeps her posture still for the most part, shoulders and arms relaxed to her sides with one hand firmly on her hip as she assesses Banagher's second attempt at putting the bag in its place with a fist.

'Yes, give it your all. It's what I expect from you.'

Two things immediately catch her attention, just enough to evoke a look of mild surprise out of the redhead. One, the way her friend lunges forward, unlike his technique from earlier, and two, the way the bag swings, just hard enough for the chains to clink against each other without losing its complete position.

Her mouth turns agape, and Regina nods slowly with a blink or two.]

Well... that was better than last time.

[Shaking off the surprise out of her face, Regina tilts her head at Banagher.]

Not bad, I'd say.

I — thanks. I visualized it better, that time.

[ Banagher takes a step back, settling squarely on his feet again in front of the punching bag. The way he says it suggests that he hadn't entirely expected his own action either, that this was just as new as it always had been to him.

Hadn't it?

Reaching out, he puts his palm on the bag to steady it again. ]

I told you before, right? That my senses are all weird. For some reason, when I visualize it, in a way, it's easier for me to react.

[Her eyes linger on the punching bag some more before flicking back at the boy. Once Banagher mentions visualizing, Regina immediately remembers her early conversation with him, and then nods in recognition.]

Mmmhmm... you told me that you had a side effect to this power you've had since April. Additionally, your reflexes were getting better out of nowhere and you wondered if there was a limit.

[The redhead quirks an eyebrow at the rest of the statement, all with an inquisitive glance.]

So when you visualized your fist on that bag, you were able to punch it.

Yeah. It's probably more complicated than it sounds. You know... [ Vaguely he indicates one of his temples with his hand in a way that doesn't allude to him being crazy. He hopes. ] In here.

When I think of it like that, it's like I just know what to do, and it happens. I don't have a better word for it than 'reflexes', even if that's probably not completely right.

['What isn't complicated?' is what she's thinking but decides not to verbalize it. Cupping a hand around her chin, she says:]

Mentally in-tune with your physical stamina? I don't know, I sure wouldn't call you psychic or anything like that. Damn, it'd be easier if there was one or two terms attached.

Empath, psychic, and whatever you'd call being able to react faster... don't seem all that related. But they are, somehow.

[ Shrugging, he smiles helplessly. The only way to know for sure was to just keep testing it. ]

What next? This thing again?

[ He pushes the punching bag with his palm. ...Still heavy. ]

[Regina blinks at the question before the realization kicks in: Banagher still needs to practice. He may have gotten better at forming a fist and actually using it, but he's got a long way to go. Walking over towards the bag, she shoves it with just enough force that it swings backwards before she brings up both hands to halt its movements.

With a quirk of her lips, she turns to Banagher.]

Continue practicing, what else? Now that you learned how to form a basic punch, you'll need to start applying force to it.

To the grind, huh?

[ Though he doesn't sound as if that surprises him, he does have a tone that edges in on the fact that he still doesn't think he's cut out for it. Still, he follows her lead, backing up and giving her time to get out of the way. For a while, he slings punches at the bag. They're not as intense as the first he'd gotten down, but they're correct in form, at least.

He's still a little stiff, too, unused to the specific motion. But he's trying to mask it, casting a glance at Regina now and again. ]

Hey. I meant to ask.

[ His pause is enough to land another hit. ]

Did you see it? Earlier. That light that shot up into the sky.

To the grind.

[She repeats to reaffirm her tone, taking a few steps back just so Banagher can have the extra room he needs to lay down his punches. Oh, and she looks sort of impressed (sort of!) with his form; it's at least proper and she doesn't need to give him extra nudging in the right direction.]

Hmm? What is it?

[The mention of the light prompts a few blinks of mild recognition before she widens her eyes, then one of her hands reaches for something around her neck, tugging it out of her shirt so the wing-like "pendant" is right in view.]

Oh yeah... I did see it! And this showed up right when it faded away.

[ Since it's all new to him, her comment is enough to throw his concentration a bit, making him glance off the bag with his next punch. Unlike before, he doesn't look nearly as mortified, instead gazing over at the pendant dangling from her grasp. That, somehow, seemed more important.

Pausing, he straightens out. ]

So it did cause a pulse... what is it? Do you know?

[ There's a certain lack of surprise about him at the fact that the lights caused pulses, but he is curious. ]

[Her fingers curl themselves around the peculiar object, the tips grazing against the smooth surface and tracing the winged outline. Confusion mars Regina's features, and even she's been trying to figure out what it really is.]

I don't even know, Banagher. It sure looks like one of those USB drives, right? I tried inserting it into my computer, but it didn't fit. While I'm glad it didn't fry the device, I'm just left speechless.

Edited 2013-12-09 00:54 (UTC)

So it has to belong to something else. Or work with something else.

[ That was the next logical thing to think, right? That something else existed out there. Somewhere in Locke, somewhere waiting to reappear. ]

Like another puzzle piece, right?

Exactly!

[She nods in full agreement, twirling the object around her fingers once more like it's a part of her body. Whatever this "something else" is, she feels like she has to obtain it.]

I just have to know what it is. For some reason, I feel really attached to this thing, like it was meant just for me.

It's not that weird to think that's the case, right? Whether or not it's past lives, or whatever they really are. [ He points to the little pendant. ] That must've belonged to you, somehow.

[ Without that raw focus to drive him, he's starting to realize his knuckles ache a little, so he moves away from the punching bag. ]

That's how I've felt about everything, up until now. Even the memories.

[Her gaze flickers over to the pendant once more as she walks over to lean against the wooden wall, pondering Banagher's words carefully. With a murmur--]

There can't be any other way. How this relates to me, I can't really say, but I want to find out.

[She moves her head to look at his direction with a slight tilt, raising her voice again as curiosity settles in her tone and expression.]

Aside from your powers, did you get anything else? I don't mean just from those lights, but in general.

Besides Haro... [ He glances at the ceiling in thought. ] No, nothing. It's just been memories for as long as I can remember now. Machines, space colonies, why we ended up there in the first place. Some faces, and names.

[ Banagher looks back down to his hands, then over at her again. ]

But nothing that can really anchor it down for me at all.

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[closed] think of how the world must look

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sorry for the delay!

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