Reyna (reynaway) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2017-03-06 22:55:00 |
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Reyna had had her reservations about Kenny’s commitment to studying sword work, but she had to admit he'd conducted himself well. He showed up on time and applied himself hard, and Reyna could think of a few centurions back in Camp Jupiter who could aspire to those qualities. “Good,” she said, when he'd finished his thirtieth drill that hour, “I think you're ready for a real sword.” Thus far, she'd only allowed him to work with wooden weapons where he wouldn't be able to hurt anyone - including himself - if he messed up. *** Kenny wasn't too sure himself. He wasn't exactly the committing type - whether it was relationships, work, or basically anything in his life. He thought he'd stop sword training after awhile, but he surprised himself when he found that he actually enjoyed it. Okay, so he didn't enjoy waking up at the wee hours of the morning, but he still showed up on time and was always ready, even if he was still half sleeping sometimes. Now though, he was pretty much used to getting up early and getting straight down to business. He was practicing the drill Reyna had taught him until she spoke. "Really? Fucking sweet," he said with a grin. But deep down, he wasn't too sure. He and sharp objects did not get along, but maybe with all of his training, nothing would happen. *** “Tomorrow,” Reyna amended, because she hadn’t brought along the swords this time around. She hadn’t ever planned to until she could see that he was ready. And now, judging from the discipline with which he wielded his practice sword, he might be ready. “Remember,” she cautioned. “With a real sword, if you drop it on your foot we’re taking a trip to Emergency.” *** "Right." Kenny figured since she obviously didn't have the swords on her. But he was a bit excited about finally moving on to real swords, even if he was a bit apprehensive about it. He'd never show it, though, and instead he scoffed at the next part. "I'm not going to drop it." He was confident in his new abilities, thanks to all the training by Reyna. It was his luck that he wasn't sure about. *** “Good,” Reyna said approvingly. She liked his confidence - it wasn’t bravado, like some boys were prone towards; it was confidence borne from experience. Yes, Kenny was coming along fine. “Do the last drill again and you’re done for the day. You’ll want to take it easy for the rest of the day, though; you’re going to feel sore tonight or tomorrow morning.” *** Maybe a bit of it was bravado, but hey, he was a guy after all. He couldn't really help it. But most of it was confidence in his abilities, more so than anything. "Yeah, okay," he nodded before doing what he was told, practicing the drill. He wasn't looking forward to being sore, but he had been through a lot worse, so he could handle a little pain for awhile. Besides, didn't that mean he was doing good? No pain, no gain or some shit like that? *** Reyna watched as he went through the drill, but he'd done it enough times now that she didn't have to correct him much. When he was done, she nodded. “Good. I'll see you tomorrow.” Then she paused, frowning as she remembered something. “Wait. I can't do it tomorrow. I have a history test.” So far she'd kept things very focused, strictly on his training. This was the first time she'd alluded to a life outside their training sessions. *** Once he was done, he handed the wooden sword to her. He also helped her gather everything else that they had. "Okay," he said and was about to leave when she spoke again. "A history test? That sucks," he made a face. He so did not miss school, especially tests and exams. "How about the day after?" he suggested but then he remembered something. "No, wait, nevermind. I picked up extra shifts at work that day." He paused for a moment. "What about Friday? Or the weekend?" *** “Yeah,” Reyna said with a grimace. “I should have started studying earlier.” She had, actually, but when you had dyslexia, you needed all the time you can get. “We can do Friday though.” She zipped up her equipment bag, which looked like it was wider than she was tall, and hefted it over her shoulder. It was a good thing she was sturdy. “Are you settling in okay?” *** "Friday's good." Kenny had that day off, so he would be able to make it. Now he had that and the weekend to look forward to. He watched as she lifted the bag. It looked a bit heavy but from his time training with her, he knew she could handle it just fine. "Yeah, I am. I mean, besides the weirdness that goes on once in awhile," he shrugged. It was a good thing he was used to being weird, growing up in a town similar to this one. Only difference is, there wasn't a dome covering the town of South Park. Plus, he hadn't been too affected by the dome yet. Except for the relationship confusion but it he didn't find it too bad. He paused for a moment. "I can help you study, if you want," he offered. He may not seem like it, but Kenny was actually pretty smart, he just never really applied himself. Besides, he wanted to repay her for the sword training somehow. Maybe helping her study could be a way to do that. *** Reyna hesitated, thinking. She usually studied alone, believing that stoically suffering through the material built character or something. But she couldn't deny that when it came to memorizing dates, she could use some help. “Yeah,” she said after a moment. “If you have time, that'll help. How's your History?” *** Kenny nodded. "Yeah, I don't have to be at work in a few hours. And my history is fine. I did pass all my tests." He shrugged a bit. History hadn't been his favorite subject in school, but he did fine with it. Some parts he didn't care about, but some of it was actually pretty interesting. "I might've forgotten some of it, though, but I'm sure it'll come back to me." *** Reyna nodded. “I just need….” For the first time she looked hesitant - very different from the strong, confident young woman who’d been training him. Thing was, she didn’t like to talk about her dyslexia. She could never make it sound like she wasn’t just making excuses. “I need you to read the dates to me. They get jumbled up.” *** Kenny had never really seen her like this before. Usually she was, well, the complete opposite. But he didn't say anything and just waited patiently for her to continue. When she did, he nodded. "Yeah, sure, I can do that. But I'm a bit hungry, so how about we go home for a bit and meet up at Starbucks or Hinkles later. Unless there's another place you want to meet up." He was easygoing, but he did wanted to go home and take a quick shower. Sword training was a tough workout. And he also figured Reyna had to get her history books anyway. *** Reyna nodded and hefted the bag more securely on her shoulder. Now that they had a plan, she was back to being self-assured. “I'll meet you at Hinkle’s,” she said. She had to shower as well. *** |