Bella James Morrison McConnell (bella_mcconnell) wrote in vivavampvegas, @ 2010-08-29 16:59:00 |
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Current mood: | calm |
A Partnership is Made
Who: Bella and Akito
Where: Akito's Home
When: 8/4 Evening (I'm backdating this to around when her and Damon broke up, so it makes more sense)
Bella had spent the last couple of days basically moping in her room that she had at Chloe's place. Sure, her talk with Jon had helped her put her thoughts together a little, but it didn't exactly put her in a good mood. Just because she had realized that her and Damon wouldn't have worked out anyway didn't mean that she felt any better about them breaking up, or her serious suspicion that there was the work of another woman behind it. A part of her really wished that she had brought the Damon from the future back with her, but that probably would have caused some nasty paradox that would have made the world implode. While right now she almost wanted existence to end, she doubted anyone else wanted that...OK, maybe just not most of everyone else. There was always a moper or two out there along with her.
So, she decided to take the next step and get out of LA. She had been given the offer to train with some grand pouba of Watchers in Vegas, so maybe she should take him up on it. Borrowing a car from Ben (he had several), she drove to where Wesley had taken her around Vegas and, after pulling up and locking the car, walked up to Akito's door and knocked.
Akito's home was actually kind of amusing: while it looked like a normal American house on the outside, when he opened the door to greet Bella, the inside was designed to look like a traditional Japanese domain. Wearing a plain black gi, the watcher bowed in respect to her before sweeping his arm towards the inside of the house in greeting.
"Welcome, Bella. It is... very nice to see you again."
She gave him a bow as well. She wasn't sure where the knowledge came from, but, since meeting Akito, she had realized that she knew Japanese and had some fair knowledge of Japanese culture. Where the hell that had come from, she had no idea. "Thanks," she said as she walked inside. "I kind of need to talk to you, about being my Watcher."
"...of course." He said with a soft smile, his voice and gaze giving the impression that he WASN'T someone to be trifled with. "I was hoping you would decide to work with me, and not... keep pushing."
"Well, it seems that what was keeping me in LA...well, changed," Bella admitted to him. "I'd rather learn how to use the talents that I have than let them go to waste, so here I am."
Akito was far better at reading people than Bella was used to... but his job was to train her, not to pry. So he simply bowed his head and sighed softly. "I... am sorry for your pain. As I stated last time, you are welcome AND encouraged to stay here with me. Perhaps heal yourself through training."
She nodded. She sort of figured that he may know what was going on with her, but she figured that, unless he asked, she wouldn't talk about it. She wasn't exactly dying to talk about Damon, anyway. "That's fine...I haven't packed anything yet...I was just coming by to say that I'd changed my mind. What kind of training do you do exactly?"
"Traditional watcher/slayer training, combined with the more... strict, stringent training of the ninjitsu, samurai, and jiu-jitsu styles." He stated while moving into the kitchen. "I just brewed a pot of green tea. Good for relaxation. Would you care for a cup?"
"Um...sure," she said about the tea, following him into the kitchen as well. Strangely, she was actually pretty sure that she knew some jiu-jitsu as well. Just what *had* she done in her past? "So, exactly how much training are we talking here? Like, in terms of hours a day?"
"Depends on how much you think you can take..." He said with a teasing smile. "And... If you think you can keep up with me." His hope was that she would want to lose herself in training. Dedicate herself to making her the student he knew she COULD be.
She couldn't help but return the smile. "Is that a challenge?" she asked him. "We'll see who has trouble keeping up with who."
"I certainly look forward to finding out. And Bella... While I will be a very strict trainer... I also wish you to have a happy life. If there is anything I can do to make your pain a little easier to deal with..." He bowed to her, giving her an actually sweet smile. "Please let me know. Your quarters are upstairs, you may do with them as you please."
She nodded. "Like I said, I need to go back to LA to pack some stuff," not that she had a lot, "but I'm ready for this." She was ready to forget about Damon, that was for sure.
"Good. We will be a great team, Bella. I am sure of it." He smiled, setting her tea down in front of her. "Drink this, and get some rest. Then in the morning, you can worry about everything else."