Strikeforce | Eirena Wilson (flaxseedstrike) wrote in superbabies, @ 2013-01-18 17:23:00 |
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Entry tags: | eirena wilson, olivier lebeau |
WHO: Olivier Lebeau and Eirena Wilson
WHEN: Backdated to early January
WHAT: Olivier heads to the gym to find Eirena practicing swordwork. They proceed to spar with staves while bantering and teasing. The scene in which the assistant professorship position is offered.
The holiday break was both perfect and kind of like falling down Alice’s rabbit hole. Sure, there were some odd times - the Pleasure Party and her following trip with Olympia to the sex shop (what the hell was half that stuff!) - but it had been great for spending time with Chess, getting over her frustrations with the bombing from the previous month, and taking advantage of the indoor training room. With less people, there was more time to herself to exercise, to train, and to practice her swordplay. After jogging outside from five to six, she slipped downstairs and laid waste to the punching bag. Normally she’d exercise for a good half an hour, but her fingers itched to hold something solid. Unzipping her under armor jacket and tossing it aside, she opened the locker which stored her weapons, drawing out one of her favorites - an old katana she’d been given when she was twelve years old.
She fell into her stance, taking several deep and concentrating breaths before gracefully going into her poses, the blade cutting through the air with speed and twirling precision. In her mind’s eye, she pictured assailants, their positions, their mental process, and turned and twisted her body and her weapon as though she was fighting with ghosts. Because the mornings were almost always quiet, she hadn’t anticipated anyone else would come into the room and didn’t listen for any actual living people.
Olivier had, for the most part, spent his time at Xavier’s in his suite, a prisoner as much of his own decision as Starsmore’s threats to stay out of everyone’s way. It was easier, to hide in privacy, ready to come out on the off chance Cora started trouble for someone, easier to pretend he wasn’t even there.
He missed the training, however, and eventually the old need to just hit something overwhelmed him. He knew where the gym was, of course -- the manor hadn’t much changed in the time since he’d left, after all -- but he didn’t expect to find it occupied when he got down there. Oli guessed that was foolish, but there was nothing to be done about it now, and he nearly turned and walked away before he found himself captivated by what the lone woman was doing.
“Impressive,” he said eventually, a bit louder than normal to make sure he was heard over whatever scenario she had running in her head. “You really know how to handle that thing.”
Eirena had been so wound up with her movements, her sword twirling like a baton and jabbing like a spear, that when an unfamiliar voice caught her off guard, it nearly went flying from her hands. “Holy-” she breathed, glad she wasn’t looking at a sword thrust through the door of her locker, bobbing with abandon. It took a moment to compose herself, one hand sheathing the blade to the strap on her back and the other one brushing the sticky strands of hair out of her eyes.
Finally she turned and beheld a person she’d only seen once or twice around the school, but knew mostly as a name and as a story. “Hey there.” She huffed, stepping towards him. She’d shake his hand, but that wasn’t everybody’s thing when your hand was red and calloused and slick from wielding her weapon. “Thanks. You’re - Olivier, right? I was beginning to think you were just a phantom. What brings you out of your tower?”
“Olivier, yeah,” he said, nodding and doing his damnedest not to smirk at the surprised reaction he’d gotten -- he knew well enough to know that was rude, even if it’d been funny. “Good to know the reputation gets ‘round, though I suppose it’s to be expected when you bounce on the Avengers and sent the school doctor cursin’ around when you first show up...”
He shrugged, stepping away from the door and, after a moment, offering his hand. “Can’t say I know your name, though. I know I’ve seen you around, on early mornin’ runs. Thought about joinin’ once or twice, actually. The... tower is great for avoidin’ folks, but not so much for exercise. So... here I am.” He smiled weakly, giving another shrug. “Didn’t think it’d be occupied. Guess I’ll leave you to it, then.”
“Some of us are no better than when we were teenagers.” Eirena shrugged. “I’ve heard something about everybody, even when I didn’t ask to.” But to have Starsmore breathing down his neck and some girl named Emily walking around, it was like being a guest star on some midday soap opera. Though, in truth, all the gossipy drama cycling about it rarely stuck. It wasn’t her business. “You made for an impressive entrance, even I’ll give you that one.”
Eirena took the offered hand, not at all bothered he didn’t know her name. Despite it being an isolated school, people came and go like the tides and some of them she’d never even gotten to have a proper conversation with. “Eirena.” When he talked about exercise and the occupation of the gym, a wry grin split her lips and she nearly chuckled. “Don’t be ridiculous. What’s an open gym for if not to be used? If you were worried I would’ve cut you, you could’ve just said so.” She unstrapped the blade from her back, adjusted her sports bra, and grabbed the bottle of water sitting on the stool by the door. A flicker of excitement came into her eyes then. “You like to spar?”
“I know how to dodge a sword,” Oli chuckled, shaking his head. “I just felt a bit bad interruptin’. You were in your own li’l world. Didn’ feel right to make you stop on account of me.” He couldn’t help but smile -- it was nice to be around someone who didn’t care, or at least could pretend they didn’t. In the mansion, it always felt like Jon was waiting around the next corner with a lecture and a glare. Here, it almost felt safe to let his guard down.
“I could be persuaded,” he answered, matching her excitement. “Been a while -- I’ve been travelin’, lately, might be a mite rusty, but I think I can handle a few rounds, if you’d like.” He tossed his bag down on the floor next to her stool and stretched a bit, watching her. “So, you a teacher here or just another bum like me?”
“Oh well, in that case, you have nothing to worry about. I’ll be just as good tomorrow.” It was nice that he was being considerate of her training, but sword-wielding was as natural as breathing to her. While it was a great to help her relieve stress, it wasn’t often she got to spar with someone who wasn’t Pella or someone she badgered into it (like Rikard. lots of badgering there). She was surprised Olivier had cooped himself up for the last little while. It wasn’t as though she listened too much to the rumors, but sometimes you did form an opinion of an idea from them regardless. He seemed like a really chill guy.
“I think I’ve got a few rounds to spare.” She grinned. “I’d say I’d go easy on you, but that’s always sounded more like an insult than a consideration. You look like you’ll give me a run for my money.” Eirena appraised, figuring stretches couldn’t hurt and did a couple herself. But she laughed. “Sorry, bum. I’m being upgraded from assistant phys ed professor to full-time - no surprise there, I imagine - and I’ve also been the private tutor the last couple years. We’re looking for a new phys ed assistant, you know.”
“It does sound a bit arrogant when you say it out loud,” he agreed, finishing his stretching and looking over at her. “Maybe even a li’l bit condescendin’, but right about now I could probably use it. Like I said: I’m out of practice.”
He nodded along with news of her promotion -- that sounded impressive, at least, though he didn’t quite have it in him to ask what’d happened to the last professor. He knew the trouble with this school’s faculty and students sticking around better than most. “I’m pretty sure Starsmore would throw a fit if he knew you were tryin’ to offer me a job here,” Olivier chuckled, shaking his head. In its own twisted way, that thought made the idea all the more interesting to him. It wasn’t that he disagreed with Jon -- in fact, it seemed Jon was the only person who agreed with him that it was his fault -- but the rage the other man felt had been contagious, had turned to hate. Oli couldn’t help but smirk at the thought of sending him into a tantrum with his presence. “Just for curiosity, though, what exactly does a phys ed assistant do?”
Eirena couldn’t argue that - it sounded arrogant as hell. But she smirked, an eyebrow hitched up. “Be careful how much power you give me - I can turn into a hell of a drill sergeant. But a little ass kicking’s good for the soul. I’m always willing to lend a friendly hand.”
She moved out to the center of the room, keeping her breathing at an even tempo. His reaction wasn’t unexpected and she released a breath of a laugh. “I’m not playing sides here - I like Starsmore fine - but who cares, really. You don’t do something else, the next time I see you, you’ll have grown twenty feet of hair and having people climb it for visitations.” It was the way Eirena was raised: if someone had a problem with you, you confronted them. Fortunately, for the sake of sleeping easy at night, she didn’t really have anybody who disliked her. Well, that much. You couldn’t be the daughter of the merc with the mouth without saying something stupid or insensitive at least once a week. “Fill in the gaps, really. Since we deal with the entire student body, I help keep records, work with students who either can’t or are unable to participate in certain exercises or with others. Like your siblings. I had to help transition them into group assignments. Precautions, you know? You’d be surprised the number of kids who need help with those things.”
“Precautions are good,” Oli said flatly, following her into the center of the room. Precautions kept problems from happening, before things went from bad to worse. Precautions would have kept him out of a malfunctioning Danger Room, would have saved Emily...
“Yeah. Precautions are good,” he sighed, forcing himself to stay focused. Now wasn’t the time for that. “So basically, the assistant just keeps shit from fallin’ apart, then? Doesn’t sound half bad t’me. Though I’m sure kids mouthin’ off at you is all part of the job, yeah?”
He chuckled, shaking his arms to keep loose. “You want to do this hand to hand, or you want to grab toys to play with?”
Eirena was well aware that their discussion triggered some train of thought for Olivier. She couldn’t lie - one of the reasons they had an assistant was because of incidents like his. The students needed attention. It wouldn’t keep the Danger Room from malfunctioning or for technical errors, but it was an aspect they could actively make a difference in. “Yeah, we’re the safety net for the actual professor, I guess. Sometimes I’ll even train with some of the kids solo. If someone’s having difficulties, I take them aside. Pella doesn’t mind so much.” But then a laugh leapt out of her throat. “Speaking of Pella, yes, I do get lots of kids mouthing off at me. They’re all afraid of Pella to some degree, so I’m the one who gets the snark and the back-talking. Not that I mind so much. One of the advantages to having so many younger brothers.”
Hands on her hips, her eyes lit up when he asked about the toys. “Fuck, I can go either way.” She walked over to her locker and opened the door, then unlocked the one below it. Inside were high-quality blades of all shapes and sizes, knives and swords alike, hooked on both the walls of the lockers and on its doors. “See anything you like?”
“Backtalk’s a time-honored tradition in my family,” Oli chuckled, shaking his head. “Half of it comes from my dad, more’n than my younger brothers and sisters. Drives Mama crazy -- or would, if it wasn’t something she always loved about him.”
He followed her to the locker, looking over her collection with an approving whistle. “Impressive collection,” he admitted, nodding. “But I’m not much of a blade man, myself. Don’t think you’ve got a staff behind one of these doors, do you? Left mine up in the tower, you know.”
Eirena laughed, sealing the lockers and slapping the key on top and out of sight for the time being. “Sounds like my family. I think all of my siblings and I have hit some point in our youth when we all realized we were more mature than our dad. I realized it when I was twelve. I don’t think my mom could ever get mad at him - even when he sets the Christmas tree on fire and she chases after him with her semi-automatic. Love.” She rolled her eyes, smirking, before walking over to one of the general lockers on the side wall. Here was where some of the basic training equipment was stored, available to anyone who had the need.
“I don’t carry staffs personally, but.” Eirena swiped the key from the hook and opened the full-length lockers. She stepped aside with a wave of her hand so that Olivier could see. “Take your pick. They’re not new, but there are some pretty good ones in here. I’ve tried my hand at them a couple of times.”
Oli couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of a twelve year old watching her parents chasing each other around with a semi. “My folks were a bit tamer. Less violence, more public displays of affection. They ain’t exactly quiet when it comes to romance...”
He nodded approvingly at the selection of staves in the locker, grabbing a plain one wooden one after a few moments and stepping back to give it a swing. “That’ll do,” he said with a smirk. “That’ll quite nicely. You gonna stick to the swords and we see how it goes, or do you want to keep it sticks and fists for today? Might be givin’ me a bit of an advantage, if you’ve really only tried your hand at ‘em a few times before now. Though...” his smirk grew, and he gave her a small shrug, “I do believe you said you’d go easy on me...”
“Thus you end up with five younger siblings and a couple traumatizing memories.” She chuckled, knowing full well that’s how she ended up with so many herself. “I don’t think I know one married couple here who favors a little bit of mystery. Somebody’s gonna get pregnant. Just a matter of time.”
Leaning against one of the other lockers, hand on hip, she snorted. “Ah ha ha. Should’ve known it’d come back to bite me in the ass. Didn’t think it’d be that soon.” But she chewed her lip for a split second before grabbing a rather lightweight staff. “You know what, let’s put it to the test. I’m a quick study, if I do say so myself.” She shut the locker door and left the key up top. “I’d just love to see the look of surprise on your face when I nail you to the ground with this puppy.”
“If it weren’t for condoms, I’m pretty sure there’d be a damn big student body around this place,” He agreed, rolling his eyes. “Seems like nobody knows how to get a room no more...” He chuckled, spinning the staff idly as he watched her decide.
“And good -- wouldn’t be no fun if you were a slow study,” he laughed, dropping into a fighting stance almost immediately. “Half the fun in sparrin’s getting your ass handed back to you.” Not that he wanted it to be too easy for her to do that, as he focused on keeping his guard up. She was the combat teacher here, he reminded himself, watching closely, and even if she wasn’t that practiced in his weapon of choice he doubted she wasn’t more than capable. “The other half’s knockin’ the other guy -- or gal, as the case may be -- though...”
“Ain’t that the truth.” She agreed. “It’s worse than you think. Olympia hosted a ladies only pleasure party last week. Don’t ask questions; I’m not giving details. I’ll just say I know more about these women than I ever wanted to.”
Something Eirena had been taught from her parents which had remained vital in all the fights following was that, though you could joke about it, you should never underestimate your opponents. Your focus and your skills would become lax and you would be up shit creek without a paddle, as her dad would say. Her strategy was to remain as defensive as possible so that she could monitor and study his form before trying to turn it against him. “Oh, I might be a touch too competitive for that mindset. Maybe a little more 40-60. But I think I can give you the good time you’re looking for.”
With that, she initiated the first sequence of moves, striking for joints and exposed limbs, though not pressing as hard as she should, hoping he would attempt to turn the tides.
“I wouldn’t dare try to get any of that knowledge out of you,” he chuckled, moving to block her attacks though he didn’t try and turn them back -- yet. “If y’all want a ladies’ night, that’s your right. I’ve got three sisters and a Mama who knows what’s what. I learned to mind my own business to avoid gettin’ a good smack.”
He could tell she was holding back -- and had expected it, really. In an all out brawl with thugs or villains on the Avengers, Oli would’ve dove in, swinging fast and hard to take them out in quick succession. This scenario, however, was a completely different animal. In a fight like this, patience and defense were just as important (if not more so) than strength and skill, and there was no doubt in his mind that Eirena knew that.
So he carefully watched her movements, playing the waiting game before finally turning things back on her with his own swings -- first aiming low, swinging for her legs and knees a few times before suddenly switching for one swipe at her upper body.
Olivier’s refusal to learn more about the tawdry, seedy underbelly of Xavier’s female staff was a relief. It’s not like she even knew where to start. “So you decided to come down here to get smacked instead? I approve.”
It was, as far as sparring goes, nice to know that even without saying a word, there was already a mutual understanding of how much more it would be about pacing oneself rather than trying to clobber the opponent to death. She was a little disgruntled, of course, because that just made her job of seeking out Olivier’s patterns and soft spots all the more troublesome. It was exceedingly obvious within moments of starting that he knew what he was doing in such an innate way that she figured it must be how people see her with her blades. For the incredibly brief amounts of time she got to admire his technique, it was all quite riveting.
But she could kind of tell when a pattern lasted just a hair longer than it should. Eirena guarded the lower half of her body accordingly and when Olivier changed the game and swiped at her upper body, she just barely deflected it, turning the tide and using her staff to draw him back before returning to a neutral stance. “Nice go.” This time she was able to match him for most of his attacks, hoping to build up the illusion that she wasn’t going to try to pull any tricks while receiving the brunt of his maneuvers. While she hated to think it, patience would win out. Or, well, that was the hope.
“Well, if’m gonna get smacked, might as well do it in a scenario where I get to smack back, yeah?” he laughed, his smile growing when she caught his last attack with her staff. Though he believed her when she said it wasn’t her usual weapon --her expertise with her sword had made that perfectly clear -- he could tell she was talented enough to pick up his patterns quickly, and was glad for it. He’d meant what he’d said; sparring was only fun if it was a decent challenge.
“You’re pretty good at this,” he commented cheerily, diving into another flurry of attacks, this time more varied, testing her reactions across the board and pressing the offensive. “Starting to think you use a staff more often than you let on...”
Eirena laughed in return. “Smart thinking.” It was good they could banter like this in the middle of a fight. While training was nothing to laugh at, it was rare to meet a partner who could make a joke or be humorous in the middle of it and make it a good time. Some people were as silent as death when dueling, which wasn’t a problem for her, but it wasn’t always her style.
His offensive strategy brought the spar to the next level and Eirena fumbled for a few moments attempting to adapt. The way Olivier transitioned was flawless and she took a couple steps back to accommodate his flurry of movements. Trying to break her own rhythm and incorporate some different swordplay elements into her formula, she pivoted and took on a more graceful form. Olivier was quick to interpret and adapt, proving that some of her attempts did not translate from her favored weapon to this one. But some did, she discovered, and while he was dominating the fight, she was pleased to see she’d sprung her own tricks on him successfully. There was that cocksure look on her face though. “I might have fudged on the details. Not that you should be that worried.” She dodged. “I know what it looks like when you’re holding back.”
“I’m pretty sure I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about, cher,” Olivier laughed, taking a step back as she dodged to catch his breath. “I ain’t holdin’ back any more’n you are.”
He’d forgotten how exhilarating a good match could be, and though he certainly could feel the spots where she’d managed to slip through his defenses, the pinpoints of pain were greatly outweighed by the sheer rush of it all.
“And besides,” a smirk. “The look on your face tells me I still don’t know what I’m in for...”
After another moment, he dove back in, though he let her take the offensive, to see more of what she could do. He could tell she was using her experience with swords, now, and that was an interesting take he hadn’t considered. Though it wasn’t a flawless comparison, it certainly had caught him off guard enough to give her a momentary edge now and again. More than once, he let an opportunity to turn things back on her pass in order to see more.
“Never saw anybody fight with a staff like that,” he said, finally attacking once more. “You might teach me a thing or two, you know.”
“Oh, I’m sure you don’t.” She shook her head, all grins and heavy breathing. As she’d been exercising for over an hour before Olivier came down here, she was already beginning to feel the strain. Right about now, she’d be doing some closing yoga stretches, not chasing a guy with combat training with a stick. “Don’t go soft on me just because I intimidate you.”
Eirena took a couple steps back, her staff resting in her hands as she took a few breaths and measured him up. Her fingers tightened on the shaft, that same smirk on her face as earlier. “I’m sure I’m up to a few more surprises. But the look on your face tells me it’s going to be a bit of an uphill battle.” She charged back in, going for his knees and calves, hoping to drive him back more towards his half of the divide.
“And teach you?” She scoffed, striking towards his side. “Somebody as good at staff work as you won’t need lessons. Something tells me you’re picking this up way faster than you’re letting on.” Eirena managed to knock him back, pressing him between the length of her weapon and the wall. “Right?”
Oli chuckled as she went for his knees, blocking the attacks easily, though he knew it was playing into her hands. Though he had the advantage of being fresh, he didn’t recover from the knocks she gave him as well as she did from his own successful hits. As tired as she was, she was still a formidable opponent.
“I ain’t got no idea what you could be talkin’ about,” he laughed, which he imagined only made the look on his face worse for his argument, even as he let her push him further back. “You’ve got me right scared. I’m outta my league, here. See?” He smiled somewhat slyly as he leaned back against the wall, staff in one hand as he raised the other in salute. “You got me.”
He supposed another man might’ve been upset to lose to a woman, even one as obviously skilled as Eirena. He, however, knew that there was no place for pride in these sort of matters. Sparring wasn’t about winning and losing as much as it was about getting there.
“Another round, or you ‘bout ready to call it a day?”
Eirena held him against the wall for several quick and heavy breaths, the same dry smile on her face before she dropped the staff and stepped out of his personal space. “I guess this is when I tell you how impressed I am that you aren’t on your knees and weeping in shame and fear. I have that way with people.” She joked, twirling the staff idly. In truth, that had been good fun. They could easily have gone many more rounds and she knew he could take her down at any given moment if he wanted to, but what was more impressive to her was how Olivier held back. While she couldn’t predict just how good he was, it was evident in spades that he was. And he knew it. Yeah, she definitely hoped he considered her offer for the teaching position.
“I’d normally go a few more, but I think I’m burned out.” She admitted. “You caught me after a couple hours of exercise, so a shower sounds a bit more appealing, sorry.” Then she looked at him pointedly. “Doesn’t mean I won’t be up for it later, though. I’m down here almost every morning. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to redeem your honor. Interested?”
"Well, it takes a li'l bit more’n that to get me on my knees, cher," he chuckled, stepping away from the wall once she gave him room and giving his staff a lazy twirl before leaning on it like a walking stick. "Usually dinner an' a show, but for a girl what can hold her own like that? Dinner'd do."
He smirked, chuckling a bit more as he stood up straight. It'd certainly been a good workout -- one of the better sparring matches he'd had in quite some time -- and though he could tell at times that the staff wasn't her favorite, he was under no illusion that he had 'let' her win. Had they both been going at it with everything they had, he doubted he'd have been able to predict who'd come out on top, even on his best day.
"Can't say I blame you. That was one Hell of a warm-up for me," he replied, nodding. "Next time I guess I'm gonna have to get up a bit earlier." It wasn't a question of whether he was interested, really. He'd needed this, and would need it again. 'Next time' was inevitable. "We'll have to see about redeemin' anythin', though."
He smiled, holding out his hand to her.
"It's been pleasure meetin' you."
Eirena smiled and took his outreaching hand, shaking it firmly. “Pleasure meeting you too.”