Reyna (reynaway) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2017-04-02 21:20:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !completed gdoc, !match-up, ~2017 april, ~50 points, ~~alexandra udinov (lilbabochka), ~~~reyna ramirez-arellano |
WHO: Reyna Ramirez-Arellano and Alex Udinov
WHERE: Gym
WHEN: April 2
WHAT: Meeting
RATING: PG
STATUS: log; completed - matchup!
It wasn’t that Reyna didn’t like practicing in the rain - she didn’t mind it, having done it so often in the past. At Camp Jupiter, you practiced outside, rain or shine or snow or fire. But there were times when she just wanted to focus on her technique without having to worry about sliding on the mud - which was why she was doing spearwork in the gym. It was still early, so there weren’t a lot of people there. Reyna took advantage of the space to cover distance and let her movements flow. *** Alex decided to work out for a little while herself after spending the day giving people lessons in self-defense. She worked out at least once a day to keep in shape. Just because she wasn't home and training with Nikita didn't mean she was going to get complacent. Not only did it allow her to continue to hone her skills, it made her feel good. She couldn't help watching the girl at the next workout station. She'd never worked with spears before, so she was fascinated. She worked with guns and knives mostly, and she learned to use whatever objects were nearby as weapons. The spear handle reminded her of the pool cue she once used to fight Russian mafia goons. The big difference was the sharp blade at the end. "Where'd you learn that?" she asked curiously. It seemed like she knew what she was doing, like she'd been training with them for awhile. *** “New Rome,” Reyna replied as she went to get her towel. Her current set of drills finished, she took the opportunity to catch her breath. “There aren't a lot of people here who use spears, I’ve noticed.” She’d noticed, too, the woman training beside her even as she’d focused on her own spearwork. She obviously knew what she was doing in terms of working out. “Have you?” *** "I am one of those people who never used a spear," Alex admitted. "But I'm kind of regretting that now." She'd never really had a reason to learn to use a spear. "Is it similar to training with a staff?" she asked curiously. *** “Yes and no,” Reyna said, after a moment’s thought. “The movement’s the same, but you have to account for the change in balance - it’s front-heavy - and the fact that you can’t do side strikes effectively. On the other hand, it takes much less effort to stab.” She spoke with the ease and confidence of someone who’d used both; her earlier hesitation was more to put her words together than to think about the strengths and weaknesses of each weapon. “Would you like to try?” Normally she wouldn’t have offered such a weapon to just anyone, but she’d watched the other woman train as well. She obviously knew what she was doing. *** "That makes sense," Alex said regarding the weight difference. Of course that would have to be taken into account. She stared at the spear for just a moment, trying to decide if she wanted to try it. It couldn't hurt...unless she accidentally stabbed herself with the sharp end. She was pretty coordinated, though, so she figured the chance of that happening was rare. "Yeah, sure. You don't mind?" She wanted to make absolute certain first. She knew it was more respectful, especially toward the weapon itself. *** “Go ahead.” It was a practice spear, so Reyna didn't feel as protective towards it as she did her other weapons. She handed it over and took a step back to give the other woman some space to experiment. “The tip’s weighted a little too much to one side. You'll feel it when you start to move.” *** Alex gently held the spear in her hands, not wanting to make any fast movements right away. She wanted to get a feel for the weapon first, to respect it. She didn't want to drop it or accidentally hurt herself with it. But after a few moments, she started moving a bit sharper and quicker, as though she were beginning to understand it. "Nice," she said, her movements much more agile now. "I like it." She liked weapons in general, though only when in practice or if they were necessary during combat. *** Reyna watched in silence, impressed by how quickly the other woman adjusted to the spear. “You're used to adapting to different weapons,” she noted when Alex returned the spear to her. *** "Yeah, I had a great trainer back home," Alex said truthfully. She learned a lot from being in Division, but it was Nikita who taught her discipline and patience. It was how she got through Division and how she learned to adapt to whatever environment she found herself in. "I like how this one feels, but I obviously could use more practice," she continued. "I'm Alex, by the way." *** “Reyna,” came the reply, much more serious and mature than a normal girl of seventeen would introduce herself. She expertly flipped the spear behind her back, where it wouldn’t get in her way. “Is your sort of training necessary back home?” There had to be some sort of reason or impetus for it. No one just spent the time to get that good just for fun. *** Alex considered how to answer that. The reason she had for beginning to train was a little bit complicated. "It definitely became necessary," she said truthfully. "I started learning all this stuff for revenge and personal reasons. It started out personal for me, but then I realized how important it was for the greater good and to protect innocent people." That was the truth. It did feel like she was doing a lot of good back home. She started out wanting revenge and being angry at the world, but then it became about doing what was right. *** Reyna nodded. She could understand that. Although the work the demigods did were mostly in secret, they were also protecting those who couldn’t protect themselves. “I fought monsters at home,” she explained. “And protected the legacy of Rome.” *** Alex raised an eyebrow, quite curious about that statement. It was the way she said it. "Why do I have a feeling you mean literal monsters?" She dealt with monsters, too, but they were all the human kind of evil. *** “Because I do?” Reyna's response was wry. “Monsters, Titans, they're all real things in my world, and real threats. We've had to learn to fight them, or be destroyed by them.” She normally wouldn't have said this to a stranger if she'd been back home - that would've been a quick trip to the psychiatrist - but here, where people came from so many worlds, she was much more open with what she did. It helped explain why a 17 year old girl was so good at killing things. *** "And here I thought the monsters I've had to fight were bad," Alex said. "Though I think human evil is just as scary." Maybe more so, but she couldn't really know that for certain as she hadn't trained to fight actual monsters and titans. "I will say, if I ever have to fight real monsters, I'd want you there." She hadn't seen Reyna in action, but she was certain the other girl knew exactly what she was doing. *** “Let's hope it doesn't come to that,” Reyna said. “I kind of like that I don't have to wake up wondering what's going to attack us today.” That didn't mean she wasn't going to keep up her training, though - just in case. “But you're right. Human evil can be just as scary. Maybe more. With monsters, they are what they are. With humans, they choose to be evil.” *** "I guess, when it comes down to it, evil is evil," Alex said. "On the other hand, good is good, and so is doing the right thing." She knew that sounded kind of silly said out loud, but it didn't make it any less true. "Anyway, maybe you and I can spar sometime." Maybe they could spar regularly and she could learn to use the spear better. *** Reyna nodded, but she knew it was more complicated than that. She’d done things that could be arguably evil, or arguably the right thing. There were a lot of shades of grey in the world, and Reyna was caught somewhere in the murk. At least sparring was simple. “I’d like that. I’m usually here at least several times a week, and I try to train in the woods in the morning.” *** Alex had also done some bad in her life. She knew that. Her quest for vengeance had taken her down a dark path. That darkness was always going to be part of her. It wasn't the biggest part of her, but it was there and she knew it. She didn't need to discuss that right now, so she just nodded at Reyna. "I'll be on the lookout for you at either of those places." She meant it. Reyna was someone she felt she could learn from. |