[attr="class","icon"]

"certainly."[break][break]

though not a surprise to see her, he knows it has been a while since she last trained or at least since they last sparred. he can think of a few reasons why that might be but he chalks it up to them being busy with the end of the world. and after that, the rifts.[break][break]

but their expedition out into the deep sea is exactly why now is the perfect time to train.[break][break]

"what would you like to train today?"

[attr="class","bottom"]Lulu Flint[break]

whatever reason he thought was likely wrong, for no one knew what had happened in the shadows of the border, mere hours prior. she was still rattled, the look in amber eyes wild.[break][break]
”hand-to-hand.”[break][break]
no shadowy tricks, either. just her, in the way she used to be. defiant, determined, and ready to shake off whatever rust had collected in her hiatus during the end of the world.

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

"hand-to-hand it is."[break][break]

stepping away from a couple of grunts he had been training, he approaches her with a stern look, one that does not carry any semblance of amusement nor joy. fighting has never brought him anything. it is a necessity, and he trains to survive.[break][break]

he brings his arms up and gets into a kickboxing stance.[break][break]

"whenever you're ready."

[attr="class","bottom"]Lulu Flint[break]

survival was part of it. the other part was a need to feel her own power in the wake of a total loss of it.[break][break]

it had taken her back to the first time she’d killed. the first time anyone had attacked her, and she’d stepped up instead of cowering. leading up to it, she had felt small in the face of her brother’s bruises, in a home she’d left behind. maybe it was why that first time had sent her down the path it did.[break][break]

she’d been in a lab that day, consumed by the thrill of creation. the same as she’d been doing for years now again. yet, the past came in like a gun from around a corner. the eyes it stared with saw forever, and would never close, a ghost eternal.[break][break]

theo’s stern look was met with determination and fire. a burst, a strike. it would be quickly apparent she was out of practice, but each failure was followed by something stronger.

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

sloppy and out of practice but what she lacks she makes up for in aggression he hasn't quite seen from her. at least not in a training session.[break][break]

he slips to the side, and again, and again, not wanting to take a hit but not quite throwing one back yet either. when his back finally meets resistance, he ducks underneath one of her hooks, then steps forward to essentially trade places before shoving her into the side of the cage.[break][break]

"escape."[break][break]

there, he starts putting on pressure. he closes in, throwing punches in an attempt to keep her pinned down.

[attr="class","bottom"]Lulu Flint[break]

miss after miss, she kept going, seeming to get ahead of herself. not conserving any energy. she was in a sprint towards nowhere, eyes aglow with something not of the present. possessed, in a way.[break][break]

she was shoved easily to the side of the cage with gritted teeth. she had an easy enough escape, with her powers. without hands physically grabbing her, she could simply slip away. a shadow. yet, she remained there, weathering punches briefly before her second wind.[break][break]

breath now practically a guttural growl, she threw high consecutive hooks, doing her best to force his guard and get out to the side.

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

she's winded, and though he's thrown a similar amount of punches by now, his breath does not hitch nor does it falter. it stays level, consistent as one would expect from a seasoned fighter.[break][break]

one of her hooks does catch him in an awkward spot, however, and it's enough for him to stutter. his next punch is thrown sloppily, missing as his fist collides against the fence.[break][break]

a small pocket opens up, allowing her to escape should she wish to. regardless of her decision, he's quick to close the distance once again, this time looking to pull her into a clinch.

[attr="class","bottom"]Lulu Flint[break]

people were looking by this point, but no one dared to spectate too closely. lulu was pulled in, frustration taking over as she did her best to fight, squeezing, trying to place her footing, but her energy was bleeding out. if it had been a real fight, she’d have lost then and there.[break][break]

her eyes settled on his chest, and she found herself wanting to simply slump against him as emotions rose. not wanting to take any potential knees, she folded, a shadow slipping from beneath his weight.[break][break]

she reappeared in his own shadow again, as she had once before in a similar situation, before giving him wider berth, not taking any hits unfairly open to her. anger was rising at her own failed skills, and she had an urge to simply duck out and disappear. she stood there, however, catching her breath and preparing for criticism. instruction. anything, from the person who had once helped her hone her strengths.

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

the knee he throws never connects as she slips away, fading into a shadow only to reappear in his.[break][break]

"you gas out too quickly."[break][break]

his first point is aired before being quickly followed by his second.[break][break]

"aggression is good but only if it's controlled. you should've aimed for a takedown even before my back hit the fence."[break][break]

there is another point to be said about not using her powers but he assumes she wanted to specifically train her hand-to-hand fighting. technique, and all that.

[attr="class","bottom"]Lulu Flint[break]

obviously. she’d thrown everything into each strike, every memory and regret, every sting and light-headed, breathless moment of defeat. she’d forgotten where she was, and why she was here.[break][break]

she wanted to feel a sense of ability to dominate, to be the predator; but she didn’t need this. this kind of fighting was beneath her now.[break][break]

”thanks. i’ll work on it.” a pause, a couple of breaths. her eyes were still wild. ”on second thought, i want to train my avatar powers.”

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

his eyes are the opposite of wild. contained, calm, he nods before moving on to a suggestion that makes far more sense. why fight like mortals when she could utilize gifts from a god?[break][break]

he raises a shoulder to wipe a bead of sweat off his jaw.[break][break]

"what powers are you aware of so far?"

[attr="class","bottom"]Lulu Flint[break]

”the ones you know already.”[break][break]

because he’d experienced them firsthand. that dream of his, of the calm ocean that reflected now in his eyes. serene in a lifeless sort of way that she’d always found so appealing.[break][break]

”hiding in shadows, stealing dreams…” insomnia, but how was he going to make that any more severe than it already was?[break][break]

”that’s about it.” so far, like he’d said.[break][break]

a brief pause, before she suggested, ”i want to learn how to hit multiple targets at once.” would the dreams bleed together?

[attr="class","ooc"]THEO BECKETT [break]

[attr="class","icon"]

briefly, he wonders how exactly an avatar comes to learn about their powers. is it through a feeling shared by their patron? instructions? and then he wonders how exactly to develop that, and to what extent one could.[break][break]

her suggestion ties in perfectly with his thoughts.[break][break]

"that would be useful."[break][break]

he has no idea where or how to start, so he simply waves two of the watching grunts over to stand beside him.[break][break]

"try it on them. i'd like to observe."

[attr="class","bottom"]Lulu Flint[break]