HomePumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
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Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Aine Hayes Thu Jul 30, 2020 6:35 am
The call to inform Rónán O’Donovan how the meeting had fared turned out better than she had dreaded. As she had surmised he was preparing for a war that was destined to come sooner or later. Each generation hoped it would not be theirs that had to face the Shinigami purge but it was always inevitable to occur one day. Conspiracies were hard to conceal as numbers grew and it had only been a matter of time before they drew the notice of their greatest threat to survival once again. The problem was how to keep history from repeating itself.
What had surprised her was that he did not chastise her nor recall her to Ireland to help in the defense. On the topic of breaking into Soul Society he agreed that it was important that she be involved. It was not like anyone could stop such forces from doing what they wanted to no matter how hard and long she protested. They had no authority over any Quincy but those in their own Clann. He counted it a concession on the part of Meredith and the others that they should be in charge of the rescue attempt in case Michael was not already dead.
That had been horrible to hear from him, the head of her Clann and a father, speculating about the death of his own son and heir in such dispassionate tones. It must be hell to have to think of the greater family rather than just your own child. God forbid she should ever produce one of her own! But was her really so dispassionate? A cold man would have written Michael off and not risked her in a rescue doomed to failure. Well she was just Gemischt anyway, right?
Those thoughts forced her to confront her own unworthiness to lead, let alone participate in an invasion of Soul Society. At best it would be a covert operation, like a hand full of wasps trying to rob a hive of bees. None of them could be relied upon to get out alive, let alone with the prize of honey. ”Fuck that noise”, she muttered to herself as she left the home and began heading out for a dojo she had looked up on line.She had been trained to believe in her abilities and knew that lack of confidence meant certain failure.
So she could like around and hope for the best and throw her life away and those other Quincy who were in favor of the mission, or she could do all that was in her power to grow in strength and be an asset to the mission. She had been working on her Reiatsu manipulation which was a must, but it would be equally important if not more for her to get in some physical training. She didn’t have time for some pansy ass slow approach either. What she needed was rough and raw intensive combat workouts. This place was rumored to be a bit over the top and that is just what she required. Michael’s life depended on it.
So it was about half an hour after leaving the house she stood outside the dojo and shook her head. It looked a bit run down to her, but whatever. It was open so surely someone could tell her if training was possible. Cost would be no deterrent. Pushing open the door, she walked inside taking in the decor and looking to see if this Charlie Carter was around.
What had surprised her was that he did not chastise her nor recall her to Ireland to help in the defense. On the topic of breaking into Soul Society he agreed that it was important that she be involved. It was not like anyone could stop such forces from doing what they wanted to no matter how hard and long she protested. They had no authority over any Quincy but those in their own Clann. He counted it a concession on the part of Meredith and the others that they should be in charge of the rescue attempt in case Michael was not already dead.
That had been horrible to hear from him, the head of her Clann and a father, speculating about the death of his own son and heir in such dispassionate tones. It must be hell to have to think of the greater family rather than just your own child. God forbid she should ever produce one of her own! But was her really so dispassionate? A cold man would have written Michael off and not risked her in a rescue doomed to failure. Well she was just Gemischt anyway, right?
Those thoughts forced her to confront her own unworthiness to lead, let alone participate in an invasion of Soul Society. At best it would be a covert operation, like a hand full of wasps trying to rob a hive of bees. None of them could be relied upon to get out alive, let alone with the prize of honey. ”Fuck that noise”, she muttered to herself as she left the home and began heading out for a dojo she had looked up on line.She had been trained to believe in her abilities and knew that lack of confidence meant certain failure.
So she could like around and hope for the best and throw her life away and those other Quincy who were in favor of the mission, or she could do all that was in her power to grow in strength and be an asset to the mission. She had been working on her Reiatsu manipulation which was a must, but it would be equally important if not more for her to get in some physical training. She didn’t have time for some pansy ass slow approach either. What she needed was rough and raw intensive combat workouts. This place was rumored to be a bit over the top and that is just what she required. Michael’s life depended on it.
So it was about half an hour after leaving the house she stood outside the dojo and shook her head. It looked a bit run down to her, but whatever. It was open so surely someone could tell her if training was possible. Cost would be no deterrent. Pushing open the door, she walked inside taking in the decor and looking to see if this Charlie Carter was around.
Aine Hayes- Posts : 52
Join date : 2020-06-14
Charlie Carter likes this post
Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Charlie Carter Thu Jul 30, 2020 7:17 am
Although the school opened at 7:00 the truth was Charlie had been here since just after 5:00. He spent the first hour training and then grabbed a shower as the other instructors began to show up. Although the official opening time was 07:00 the truth was that the doors were open from 06:30, this was because the first kickboxing and karate classes began at seven and people needed time to get changed into their training gear as well as getting some stretching in. The morning classes always felt a bit hectic to Charlie because most of the students were full time workers and they wanted to get an hour of training in before rushing off to work.
Luckily he had his assistant instructors. They were all full time teachers at his school so they handled the majority of the morning lessons with Charlie sometimes dipping in to help with the Karate class as it was their most popular style.
Charlie was dressed in his Karate Gi as he sat in his office quickly going over some paperwork. It was mostly just membership renewal forms for the start of the upcoming month as most members had their membership paid electronically so the whole thing was automatic but a few still liked to pay in person with physically signed renewal forms. Either/or suited Charlie himself, he was far from the most techie guy around and preferred to do things with cash anyway because at least he understood that.
Standing up and stretching he rolled his shoulders and cracked his hair. Although he was nearly fifty the man felt stronger than he ever had and wondered if it was because his odd powers had seemed to be growing as of late. He’d destroyed almost half a dozen Hollow this month alone. It was a mad world he lived in.
Walking out of his office he headed towards the stairs and jogged down to the bottom floor. It was buzzing as students got ready for their classes which wasn’t surprising as the locker rooms were all on the bottom floor.
Glancing around he noticed a foreign woman near the doorway. That on it’s own wasn’t too surprising, being a foreigner himself he attracted a lot of foreign students who felt more comfortable being taught by a Westerner. However what did draw his attention was that she was obviously looking around unsure of her surroundings and probably looking for someone in charge.
Charlie put on an easy smile as he strode over, always happy to see people show an interest in his school.
“Good Morning. The name’s Charlie. Can I help you out?” he asked pleasantly.
Luckily he had his assistant instructors. They were all full time teachers at his school so they handled the majority of the morning lessons with Charlie sometimes dipping in to help with the Karate class as it was their most popular style.
Charlie was dressed in his Karate Gi as he sat in his office quickly going over some paperwork. It was mostly just membership renewal forms for the start of the upcoming month as most members had their membership paid electronically so the whole thing was automatic but a few still liked to pay in person with physically signed renewal forms. Either/or suited Charlie himself, he was far from the most techie guy around and preferred to do things with cash anyway because at least he understood that.
Standing up and stretching he rolled his shoulders and cracked his hair. Although he was nearly fifty the man felt stronger than he ever had and wondered if it was because his odd powers had seemed to be growing as of late. He’d destroyed almost half a dozen Hollow this month alone. It was a mad world he lived in.
Walking out of his office he headed towards the stairs and jogged down to the bottom floor. It was buzzing as students got ready for their classes which wasn’t surprising as the locker rooms were all on the bottom floor.
Glancing around he noticed a foreign woman near the doorway. That on it’s own wasn’t too surprising, being a foreigner himself he attracted a lot of foreign students who felt more comfortable being taught by a Westerner. However what did draw his attention was that she was obviously looking around unsure of her surroundings and probably looking for someone in charge.
Charlie put on an easy smile as he strode over, always happy to see people show an interest in his school.
“Good Morning. The name’s Charlie. Can I help you out?” he asked pleasantly.
Charlie Carter- Posts : 19
Join date : 2020-07-29
Aine Hayes likes this post
Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Aine Hayes Thu Jul 30, 2020 8:07 am
The inside was much nicer than the exterior of the warehouse, let alone the neighborhood, had indicated. It was also a good sign to see that this early in the morning so many people were getting to the business of their instruction. It was a lot bigger inside than she realized it would be too, more of the voluminous space was in use. It boded well for a dojo that put more stock in putting the money to use on the inside, with instructors and training gear, than the facade of a fancy exterior.
Feeling more hopeful in that she might find what she required in this place, she at last was approached by a figure who had just come from upstairs. He didn’t plod down the stairs either, but did so with energy and after a cursory glance about the room, he spied her and made straight toward her. His smile was welcoming, but it was no more than what anyone prospecting for sales would put on.
Flashing him a pleasant smile of her own, she said, ”Hello Charlie. I sure hope so. My name is Aine and I am going to be deployed on assignment to Syria in about a month. I’m a photojournalist and I will be part of a team that will switch out with our reporters already on site. However, it has been a while since I have been in a combat zone. What I need is an intensive self defense course”, she misled the man without so much as an ounce of guilt. She could always go to confession on Sunday anyway.
She smiled again and shrugged a bit before adding, ”The kind that pushes you to your limits. The kind that might just save my life or that of a fellow journalist during our tour of duty. Does that sound like something you can help me out with?” She glanced around slightly and said, ”You sure seem awful busy. I understand if you don’t have room for me in any of the classes. I would have to start from the beginning and though I do have some skills, they are rusty and probably outdated at best. I will require daily training because I might get called up sooner than expected. The dates are always tentative at best.”
She had come up with a plausible enough cover story for her urgency and the level of combat techniques she was requesting and she felt it should be satisfying enough to stave off any unwanted and probing questions.
Feeling more hopeful in that she might find what she required in this place, she at last was approached by a figure who had just come from upstairs. He didn’t plod down the stairs either, but did so with energy and after a cursory glance about the room, he spied her and made straight toward her. His smile was welcoming, but it was no more than what anyone prospecting for sales would put on.
Flashing him a pleasant smile of her own, she said, ”Hello Charlie. I sure hope so. My name is Aine and I am going to be deployed on assignment to Syria in about a month. I’m a photojournalist and I will be part of a team that will switch out with our reporters already on site. However, it has been a while since I have been in a combat zone. What I need is an intensive self defense course”, she misled the man without so much as an ounce of guilt. She could always go to confession on Sunday anyway.
She smiled again and shrugged a bit before adding, ”The kind that pushes you to your limits. The kind that might just save my life or that of a fellow journalist during our tour of duty. Does that sound like something you can help me out with?” She glanced around slightly and said, ”You sure seem awful busy. I understand if you don’t have room for me in any of the classes. I would have to start from the beginning and though I do have some skills, they are rusty and probably outdated at best. I will require daily training because I might get called up sooner than expected. The dates are always tentative at best.”
She had come up with a plausible enough cover story for her urgency and the level of combat techniques she was requesting and she felt it should be satisfying enough to stave off any unwanted and probing questions.
Aine Hayes- Posts : 52
Join date : 2020-06-14
Charlie Carter likes this post
Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Charlie Carter Thu Jul 30, 2020 8:28 am
“Nice to meet you Aine.” he greeted pleasantly holding out a hand for her to shake upon hearing her, what he believed to be, Irish accent. No one shook hands enough in Japan, he missed it.
Raising an eyebrow at her sudden, straight to business no nonsense, explanation for what she wanted, when she wanted it by and how she wanted it delivered. The man’s smile widened. He couldn’t say he didn’t appreciate it. People in this country tip-toed around issues before addressing them and Charlie was just too old for that shit. A bit of direct clarity was appreciated.
“Alright then. I was going to say you could observe a class while we train this morning but if you want to get straight to business we can discuss it in my office. Ah, just don’t forget the shoes.” he added.
Charlie nodded towards the shoe shelf next to Aine, the small area she stood in was known as the Genkan, an entryway area for the building where she could remove her shoes and put them aside before entering the rest of the building.
Once the woman had taken off her shoes he’d lead her up the stairs, moving lightly on his feet despite his age. As they reached the first floor he stated. “BJJ and Kickboxing classes are held on this floor, down on the ground floor are the locker rooms and we have a gym as well if people want to do some strength training alongside the rest. We’ve a fitness trainer you can sign up for too if you need some direction.”
Reaching the second floor he nodded. “This is the Karate Dojo, it’s our biggest class.”
Continuing upwards they finally reached the third, and top, floor. “This is my floor. Private lessons are held up here sometimes too.”
Reaching an office he opened the door and waved her in. “Usually I wait til the second week before discussing this stuff but you seem to be in a bit of a rush.”
Taking his seat at the opposite side of the desk he waved for her to sit across from him.
“Okay so first off you can pay per class. If you do so you come for whatever classes you’ve signed up for and left out. Second you can become a member of a particular style and that lets you use the other facilities for extra training and working out outside of class time. Thirdly you can become a full member for a flat rate. Full access to all the facilities and all the classes, if you wanted you could stay from seven til half eleven if it fits your fancy. Here’s the class schedules.” he said grabbing a piece of paper with a timetable on it and handing it across for Aine to look at. The prices were ridiculously affordable for what they got but Charlie wasn’t trying to make big profits, if he made enough to keep the place open and pay his instructors he was more than happy.
“So we teach Okinawan Karate, our parent Dojo is the original Goju Ryu group in Okinawa and I teach the more advanced students some weapon stuff too. It’s a traditional class so you’re going to be doing sparring but a lot of kata, old fashioned body conditioning etc. It’s a long road so if you’re only going to be here a few weeks it might not be what you want.” he admitted. Most Karate teachers would probably lie to get the student but traditional Karate was a lifestyle and it didn’t sound like Aine would be around long enough. “Probably a mix of Kickboxing and BJJ is your best bet. Striking and grappling. We have competition and self-defence classes. If you’ve time I’d recommend taking both. Hell if you have time just to Karate too, why not. Our Kickboxing is based on the K-1 rules. Basically it’s a mix of Karate, western boxing and Muay Thai which has become its own efficient thing over the years.”
Leaning back in his chair he folded his arms. “I also give private classes on a limited basis during the off-peak hours. I teach in whatever three styles you’re interested in as well as some boxing if interested.”
Smiling, he stopped speaking to let the woman take it all in. it was rather a lot of information for someone new to the martial arts but she had been rather direct so he’d be the same. “Now let me warn you. No amount of study of fighting is going to do jack shit for you in a warzone. I’m not going to blow smoke up your ass to tell you that you’re going to be a super badass. You see someone with a weapon? You fucking run. You see someone wanting to start shit anywhere in fact? Run. Fighting outside of competition is fucking stupid at the end of the day, it’s never worth the risk. However being able to handle yourself when push comes to shove will give you confidence which can be as useful as anything else.”
Raising an eyebrow at her sudden, straight to business no nonsense, explanation for what she wanted, when she wanted it by and how she wanted it delivered. The man’s smile widened. He couldn’t say he didn’t appreciate it. People in this country tip-toed around issues before addressing them and Charlie was just too old for that shit. A bit of direct clarity was appreciated.
“Alright then. I was going to say you could observe a class while we train this morning but if you want to get straight to business we can discuss it in my office. Ah, just don’t forget the shoes.” he added.
Charlie nodded towards the shoe shelf next to Aine, the small area she stood in was known as the Genkan, an entryway area for the building where she could remove her shoes and put them aside before entering the rest of the building.
Once the woman had taken off her shoes he’d lead her up the stairs, moving lightly on his feet despite his age. As they reached the first floor he stated. “BJJ and Kickboxing classes are held on this floor, down on the ground floor are the locker rooms and we have a gym as well if people want to do some strength training alongside the rest. We’ve a fitness trainer you can sign up for too if you need some direction.”
Reaching the second floor he nodded. “This is the Karate Dojo, it’s our biggest class.”
Continuing upwards they finally reached the third, and top, floor. “This is my floor. Private lessons are held up here sometimes too.”
Reaching an office he opened the door and waved her in. “Usually I wait til the second week before discussing this stuff but you seem to be in a bit of a rush.”
Taking his seat at the opposite side of the desk he waved for her to sit across from him.
“Okay so first off you can pay per class. If you do so you come for whatever classes you’ve signed up for and left out. Second you can become a member of a particular style and that lets you use the other facilities for extra training and working out outside of class time. Thirdly you can become a full member for a flat rate. Full access to all the facilities and all the classes, if you wanted you could stay from seven til half eleven if it fits your fancy. Here’s the class schedules.” he said grabbing a piece of paper with a timetable on it and handing it across for Aine to look at. The prices were ridiculously affordable for what they got but Charlie wasn’t trying to make big profits, if he made enough to keep the place open and pay his instructors he was more than happy.
“So we teach Okinawan Karate, our parent Dojo is the original Goju Ryu group in Okinawa and I teach the more advanced students some weapon stuff too. It’s a traditional class so you’re going to be doing sparring but a lot of kata, old fashioned body conditioning etc. It’s a long road so if you’re only going to be here a few weeks it might not be what you want.” he admitted. Most Karate teachers would probably lie to get the student but traditional Karate was a lifestyle and it didn’t sound like Aine would be around long enough. “Probably a mix of Kickboxing and BJJ is your best bet. Striking and grappling. We have competition and self-defence classes. If you’ve time I’d recommend taking both. Hell if you have time just to Karate too, why not. Our Kickboxing is based on the K-1 rules. Basically it’s a mix of Karate, western boxing and Muay Thai which has become its own efficient thing over the years.”
Leaning back in his chair he folded his arms. “I also give private classes on a limited basis during the off-peak hours. I teach in whatever three styles you’re interested in as well as some boxing if interested.”
Smiling, he stopped speaking to let the woman take it all in. it was rather a lot of information for someone new to the martial arts but she had been rather direct so he’d be the same. “Now let me warn you. No amount of study of fighting is going to do jack shit for you in a warzone. I’m not going to blow smoke up your ass to tell you that you’re going to be a super badass. You see someone with a weapon? You fucking run. You see someone wanting to start shit anywhere in fact? Run. Fighting outside of competition is fucking stupid at the end of the day, it’s never worth the risk. However being able to handle yourself when push comes to shove will give you confidence which can be as useful as anything else.”
Charlie Carter- Posts : 19
Join date : 2020-07-29
Aine Hayes likes this post
Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Aine Hayes Thu Jul 30, 2020 10:02 am
Nodding, Aine slipped her boots off and placed them in the Genkan. Then she turned and bowed to the dojo in honor of the lore that had been passed down through the ages, before crossing over to follow along Charlie in her stocking feet. Wildly striped socks of black and pink adorned her feet as she moved to keep up with him in a timely fashion.
”I got up to green belt in Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo and had to drop out after that due to family obligations”, she replied having taken the class schedule and perused it while he spoke about all that there was to offer. Folding the paper up and sticking it into the pocket of her leather jacket she said, ”Since then I have mostly focused on cardio and archery.” That didn’t really make her combat ready nor did she wish to give off the impression that she was that naive.
”So much of what you have said is in a vernacular of which I simply have no knowledge. But to answer at least the question about what sort of pay system would best suit my needs, I believe that the full membership that gives me access to extended hours and the like will be best.” She wet her lips and pondered a moment before continuing.
”It’s nice to hear that you aren’t making ridiculous claims. I suppose I have had more training than I claimed, but it was more disaster preparedness type things. Run away from danger not toward. My safety and that of my crew above all else.”, she replied hoping he would get the idea that she knew that even a few months training would not make her soldier. She was a soldier, only not the kind he was talking about.
”I guess what I am trying to say is that I need to grow in strength, endurance, and technique when it comes to breaking choke holds or protecting myself from general violence that is not really war related. No one wants to get snatched up from the streets and shoved in a van and put into some sex trafficking ring, you know?” She smiled once more trying to lighten the mood a bit and said, ”Maybe a general spar to assess my weaknesses, though in truth we could just say they are everywhere and just get down to basics.”
Then she did grin with genuine humor at the elder man, ”You are the expert after all, what do you suggest is the best way to proceed so I don’t inadvertently get myself killed it he field?”
”I got up to green belt in Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo and had to drop out after that due to family obligations”, she replied having taken the class schedule and perused it while he spoke about all that there was to offer. Folding the paper up and sticking it into the pocket of her leather jacket she said, ”Since then I have mostly focused on cardio and archery.” That didn’t really make her combat ready nor did she wish to give off the impression that she was that naive.
”So much of what you have said is in a vernacular of which I simply have no knowledge. But to answer at least the question about what sort of pay system would best suit my needs, I believe that the full membership that gives me access to extended hours and the like will be best.” She wet her lips and pondered a moment before continuing.
”It’s nice to hear that you aren’t making ridiculous claims. I suppose I have had more training than I claimed, but it was more disaster preparedness type things. Run away from danger not toward. My safety and that of my crew above all else.”, she replied hoping he would get the idea that she knew that even a few months training would not make her soldier. She was a soldier, only not the kind he was talking about.
”I guess what I am trying to say is that I need to grow in strength, endurance, and technique when it comes to breaking choke holds or protecting myself from general violence that is not really war related. No one wants to get snatched up from the streets and shoved in a van and put into some sex trafficking ring, you know?” She smiled once more trying to lighten the mood a bit and said, ”Maybe a general spar to assess my weaknesses, though in truth we could just say they are everywhere and just get down to basics.”
Then she did grin with genuine humor at the elder man, ”You are the expert after all, what do you suggest is the best way to proceed so I don’t inadvertently get myself killed it he field?”
Aine Hayes- Posts : 52
Join date : 2020-06-14
Charlie Carter likes this post
Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Charlie Carter Thu Jul 30, 2020 10:29 am
Crossing his ankles and relaxing, despite keeping a proper upright posture, the man let the woman pocket the timetable and smirked slightly at the mention of Taekwondo. “Well I’ll not hold it against you.” he said in a joking tone before adding. “Taekwondo is basically just Shotokan Karate, which I’m honestly not much of a fan of. Even good karate styles can be absolute garbage at the wrong school. If you can’t find a place that spars properly, full contact, then you walk. Sadly a lot of modern Karate and similar styles either don’t spar or they do that weird tag point nonsense.” he stopped himself realising he was rambling. The sad state of modern martial arts sickened him and even the styles which had avoided the whole McDojo stuff, like Muay Thai and BJJ, were starting to head that way due to instructors wanting money over quality combined with a fear of hurting their students. It was fucking fighting! You got hurt!
Clearing his throat he nodded. “Honestly having good cardio is going to be the most beneficial thing for you.” he assured her. “The rest we can fix. Any training here is going to be pressure tested and it’ll give you a fighting chance when it comes to self-defence.”
Folding his arms he pondered the question. “Honestly if you’re only going to be here for two months I recommend taking the MMA classes, as many as you can attend, and that should be good enough. Karate is my favourite, personally, it’s my life but it takes more than two months. If you were a local who had no plans to move away I’d say do as much as you want. Regardless, full membership will let you attend as many classes as you want. If you want to try the more traditional stuff down the line then you can do so. We also have free sparring times once you've a few classes under your belt. Basically they’re open matt sessions with an instructor observing where people can spar with whatever style they want in a full contact or grappling only ruleset.” he explained as he began pulling open drawers trying to find the documents he was looking for. He was so bad at organising himself, that had been Michelle’s strength, not his. God he missed her.
Eventually finding what he was searching for he pulled out a manilla folder while continuing. “For MMA you just need some appropriate sports gear, this lists the sort of stuff you need.” he said handing a page from the folder over. “Women and men tend to vary a bit in what they wear. That list will also mention the protective gear needed but we sell that stuff if you’d rather but we don’t mind where you get it from. For Karate you’ll need a Gi which again get somewhere else or buy here, your choice. For your first few classes you can get by with just whatever you have, t-shirt or tank top with shorts or tracksuit bottoms. No point buying anything until you’re sure you want to stick around.”
Going through the folder he pulled out a few stapled together pages. “This is a contact for the full membership. The fee covers gym costs for the month, all classes and some general sports insurance stuff. There’s a small additional annual fee of about 20 dollars if you’re going to go to the Karate classes. That just makes you a member of the international organisation we’re part of which is it’s own sports club insurance stuff as well as letting you attend seminars and events in the long term.”
A knock on the door drew Charlie’s attention and he grabbed a pen as he set it on top of the page. “Sorry one second. Feel free to read through it to make sure there’s nothing dodgy or whatever before you sign. Let me know if you’ve any questions, I’ll be right back.”
Going to the door he pulled it open to reveal one of his instructors and had a quick chat with him, it was nothing serious just the guy that was supposed to take this evening's kickboxing class had to leave early to deal with personal business. Charlie told him it was no problem and that he could cover it before diving back into the room.
“Sorry about that.” he said returning to his seat.
Clearing his throat he nodded. “Honestly having good cardio is going to be the most beneficial thing for you.” he assured her. “The rest we can fix. Any training here is going to be pressure tested and it’ll give you a fighting chance when it comes to self-defence.”
Folding his arms he pondered the question. “Honestly if you’re only going to be here for two months I recommend taking the MMA classes, as many as you can attend, and that should be good enough. Karate is my favourite, personally, it’s my life but it takes more than two months. If you were a local who had no plans to move away I’d say do as much as you want. Regardless, full membership will let you attend as many classes as you want. If you want to try the more traditional stuff down the line then you can do so. We also have free sparring times once you've a few classes under your belt. Basically they’re open matt sessions with an instructor observing where people can spar with whatever style they want in a full contact or grappling only ruleset.” he explained as he began pulling open drawers trying to find the documents he was looking for. He was so bad at organising himself, that had been Michelle’s strength, not his. God he missed her.
Eventually finding what he was searching for he pulled out a manilla folder while continuing. “For MMA you just need some appropriate sports gear, this lists the sort of stuff you need.” he said handing a page from the folder over. “Women and men tend to vary a bit in what they wear. That list will also mention the protective gear needed but we sell that stuff if you’d rather but we don’t mind where you get it from. For Karate you’ll need a Gi which again get somewhere else or buy here, your choice. For your first few classes you can get by with just whatever you have, t-shirt or tank top with shorts or tracksuit bottoms. No point buying anything until you’re sure you want to stick around.”
Going through the folder he pulled out a few stapled together pages. “This is a contact for the full membership. The fee covers gym costs for the month, all classes and some general sports insurance stuff. There’s a small additional annual fee of about 20 dollars if you’re going to go to the Karate classes. That just makes you a member of the international organisation we’re part of which is it’s own sports club insurance stuff as well as letting you attend seminars and events in the long term.”
A knock on the door drew Charlie’s attention and he grabbed a pen as he set it on top of the page. “Sorry one second. Feel free to read through it to make sure there’s nothing dodgy or whatever before you sign. Let me know if you’ve any questions, I’ll be right back.”
Going to the door he pulled it open to reveal one of his instructors and had a quick chat with him, it was nothing serious just the guy that was supposed to take this evening's kickboxing class had to leave early to deal with personal business. Charlie told him it was no problem and that he could cover it before diving back into the room.
“Sorry about that.” he said returning to his seat.
Charlie Carter- Posts : 19
Join date : 2020-07-29
Aine Hayes likes this post
Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Aine Hayes Thu Jul 30, 2020 11:30 am
She had no need to explain to the man that the head of her Academy was the one responsible for getting Taekwondo into the Olympics; it was not her accomplishment and she had only met Kwan Chang Nim once. It would have been the oddest flex imaginable. She understood the rivalry between differing schools and that was beyond her interest or feelings of loyalty. She hadn’t even made it far enough to legitimately take pride in the accomplishment and mentioning it at all was like some twit claiming she knew ballet when in truth had taken a couple years as a child then went off to be some fate cow later in life.
She grinned at him as he made the remark and listened to what he could teach her. That is why she was here and she had her eye on what was important. Reaching across the desk, she took the gear list and began ticking off items she would need in order to do her training. ”That seems more than reasonable to me. Barring any issues I prefer to support my own dojo than purchasing within the community or online stores.”
Laying the equipment list on the desk , she began to take her leather jacket off wishing she had taken the time to buy something a little more appropriate to the climate. She had been severely overheated that day in the flea market and it had been the kindness of strangers that provided her with shade and water. She just let the jacket slump over the back of the chair and reached for the contract, her bracelet quite plain to see now that she was not clad in her outerwear. ”I see. There is certainly a lot for me to consider”, she said before the knock came at the door causing her to withdraw her hand and leave the contract lie upon the desk.
Instinctively she rose to her feet while Charlie got up to leave the room and smiled, ”Take your time. I have more than enough to keep me occupied.” Picking up the pen, she gathered the contract and began to read over its terms of agreement finding it all to be rather standard and easy to understand.
Scooting forward so she might use the edge of the desk to write upon, she began filling out the form and decided to sign up for the whole works. Hopefully there would be life after this mission and it would be nice to actually get in some dedicated training to more fully her skill for her continued missions. It was best to proceed as if there was a certainty of success. It beat the hell out of walking around like you were already dead.
Signing at the bottom, she smiled at Charlie and handed him the form and the pen once he returned to his side of the desk. ”Nothing to be sorry for. You’ve a business to run, yes? I assume you take Visa?” Pending his claiming of the pen and form she would drag out her wallet from the jacket pocket and tend to the payment end and seal the deal.
She grinned at him as he made the remark and listened to what he could teach her. That is why she was here and she had her eye on what was important. Reaching across the desk, she took the gear list and began ticking off items she would need in order to do her training. ”That seems more than reasonable to me. Barring any issues I prefer to support my own dojo than purchasing within the community or online stores.”
Laying the equipment list on the desk , she began to take her leather jacket off wishing she had taken the time to buy something a little more appropriate to the climate. She had been severely overheated that day in the flea market and it had been the kindness of strangers that provided her with shade and water. She just let the jacket slump over the back of the chair and reached for the contract, her bracelet quite plain to see now that she was not clad in her outerwear. ”I see. There is certainly a lot for me to consider”, she said before the knock came at the door causing her to withdraw her hand and leave the contract lie upon the desk.
Instinctively she rose to her feet while Charlie got up to leave the room and smiled, ”Take your time. I have more than enough to keep me occupied.” Picking up the pen, she gathered the contract and began to read over its terms of agreement finding it all to be rather standard and easy to understand.
Scooting forward so she might use the edge of the desk to write upon, she began filling out the form and decided to sign up for the whole works. Hopefully there would be life after this mission and it would be nice to actually get in some dedicated training to more fully her skill for her continued missions. It was best to proceed as if there was a certainty of success. It beat the hell out of walking around like you were already dead.
Signing at the bottom, she smiled at Charlie and handed him the form and the pen once he returned to his side of the desk. ”Nothing to be sorry for. You’ve a business to run, yes? I assume you take Visa?” Pending his claiming of the pen and form she would drag out her wallet from the jacket pocket and tend to the payment end and seal the deal.
Aine Hayes- Posts : 52
Join date : 2020-06-14
Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Charlie Carter Thu Jul 30, 2020 11:54 am
Nodding he took the form. “Yes we can get that sorted down in reception before you go. First day is free anyway and you’ll get your membership card tomorrow when you arrive, we’re not the quickest with computers around here so we print the cards in the evening.” he told her offhandedly putting her file in the front of the folder then sticking it in his desk drawer so he’d find it later. He seemed almost unconcerned with the money as if it was a necessary, if not pleasant, aspect of the entire registration process.
“Honestly 99% of the people here pay in cash but that’s just Japan I think. The place is definitely a money society, I was shocked when I moved here. I’d assumed they’d be way ahead of the curve, I mean this is robot mech country right?” he added jokingly.
Before he could say anything else his eyes were drawn instinctively to her bracelet. He went to look away before his eyes darted back and realisation began to dawn in his mind thanks to his long friendship with Irvine as well as the one he’d met at the murder scene that horrid night.
“Interesting jewelry.” he said nodding towards the cross. “It takes a special sort of person to wear a symbol of faith on their wrist, right?” he asked.
As he spoke Charlie dived deep within himself. He drove downwards into the burning source of his power. The aggressive power seemed to threaten to even try and sear the man himself despite being his. Irvine had once noted that it felt dangerous, unpleasantly so. He’d noticed that it would be hard to ignore if the woman really was one of those Quincy considering the sort of feeling it invoked. Grasping the energy he drew it out of himself and exerted it on the room around him as his Reiatsu flooded outwards violently.
He smoothly came to his feet, the movement was innocuous to the mundane eye but to the Spiritual Senses it would be anything but as the power radiated off of him as he approached the woman.
“Honestly 99% of the people here pay in cash but that’s just Japan I think. The place is definitely a money society, I was shocked when I moved here. I’d assumed they’d be way ahead of the curve, I mean this is robot mech country right?” he added jokingly.
Before he could say anything else his eyes were drawn instinctively to her bracelet. He went to look away before his eyes darted back and realisation began to dawn in his mind thanks to his long friendship with Irvine as well as the one he’d met at the murder scene that horrid night.
“Interesting jewelry.” he said nodding towards the cross. “It takes a special sort of person to wear a symbol of faith on their wrist, right?” he asked.
As he spoke Charlie dived deep within himself. He drove downwards into the burning source of his power. The aggressive power seemed to threaten to even try and sear the man himself despite being his. Irvine had once noted that it felt dangerous, unpleasantly so. He’d noticed that it would be hard to ignore if the woman really was one of those Quincy considering the sort of feeling it invoked. Grasping the energy he drew it out of himself and exerted it on the room around him as his Reiatsu flooded outwards violently.
He smoothly came to his feet, the movement was innocuous to the mundane eye but to the Spiritual Senses it would be anything but as the power radiated off of him as he approached the woman.
Charlie Carter- Posts : 19
Join date : 2020-07-29
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Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Aine Hayes Thu Jul 30, 2020 12:52 pm
”Oh sure. That is not a problem. I do carry cash as well. I just like to conserve if for those places that don’t take debit cards”, she replied thankful that she had finally gotten the hang of the monetary system. A waif of sorrow still lingered after all this time, over the death of Michael’s fiance Yua. Were it not for her she would still be struggling even after all this time. No doubt that old grief was exacerbated by the dire situation with Michael. At least she was spared all this horror.
Sobering up, his comment about her bracelet caused her to inwardly groan, ”Oh he was one of those.” She had heard all the Anti-catholic tropes, everything from them being the cult of the whore of Babylon to not even being Christian. She supposed it took all kinds and she said with a laugh, ”I guess. It’s not a problem is it? I don’t try to shove my beliefs on others.”
That was when suddenly things got weird big time. His spiritual energy, there was no doubt about it, rose with a threatening force and began to circle round the room as though trying to trap her in his clutches. Instantly she leapt to her feet, her shimmering blue bow in her hand and drawn in one smooth motion as he rose to his full bullying height. ”I suggest you back the fuck down mister before I let you knwo jsut who you are messing with. I promise it will be the last lesson you ever learn.” Her arrow shimmered along a beed, pointed right for his head and she said, ”What’s it gonna be? I can walk away right now or you can die. The choice is yours, but rest assured it’s the only ones you have.”
She had lives to save and no way was she going to piss away her only chance to get Michael back. If it meant killing this man and leaping out his window and disappearing, then so be it. All signs of her former jovial and conciliatory self were gone and there should be no doubt in the man’s mind that he stood before a warrior in her own right. One blooded in battle and not shy about spilling more.
Sobering up, his comment about her bracelet caused her to inwardly groan, ”Oh he was one of those.” She had heard all the Anti-catholic tropes, everything from them being the cult of the whore of Babylon to not even being Christian. She supposed it took all kinds and she said with a laugh, ”I guess. It’s not a problem is it? I don’t try to shove my beliefs on others.”
That was when suddenly things got weird big time. His spiritual energy, there was no doubt about it, rose with a threatening force and began to circle round the room as though trying to trap her in his clutches. Instantly she leapt to her feet, her shimmering blue bow in her hand and drawn in one smooth motion as he rose to his full bullying height. ”I suggest you back the fuck down mister before I let you knwo jsut who you are messing with. I promise it will be the last lesson you ever learn.” Her arrow shimmered along a beed, pointed right for his head and she said, ”What’s it gonna be? I can walk away right now or you can die. The choice is yours, but rest assured it’s the only ones you have.”
She had lives to save and no way was she going to piss away her only chance to get Michael back. If it meant killing this man and leaping out his window and disappearing, then so be it. All signs of her former jovial and conciliatory self were gone and there should be no doubt in the man’s mind that he stood before a warrior in her own right. One blooded in battle and not shy about spilling more.
Aine Hayes- Posts : 52
Join date : 2020-06-14
Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Charlie Carter Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:11 pm
Grinning, he raised his hands above his head as his Reiatsu receded. “What’s with the aggression? I thought you were here for some lessons?” he teased. It was a fair question. He’d done nothing except casually stand up and walk around the desk after all. Meanwhile she’d pulled a magical bow on him and threatened to kill him.
He stepped around her, as if she wasn’t holding a bow of pure destruction in his direction, and opened the door. “Thirsty ‘cause I need a drink. ” he said casually.
Stepping out and seemingly just expecting the woman to follow him he left the office and entered the main room on the floor, his private training area which took up most of the top level of the building, filled with various punching bags and other training equipment all modified to withstand his powers. The room also had secret architecture to hide what was happening within from other Spiritualists and also to disguise the sounds so people downstairs wouldn’t hear him smashing the place up. That was all thanks to Irvine’s expertise.
“So you’re a Quincy then.” he said as she followed him into the large hall and closed the door behind them.
Folding his arms behind him he still wore his open and pleasant smile. “I’ve a mate who’s one of your lot. I don’t really understand the whole thing if I’m honest. You guys are like me but instead of powers being random you guys are fairly uniform or something? And your kids come out Quincy too so it’s something in the blood I guess.”
“So...” he said with a grin. “How about you tell me what you’re really looking for here? Because I can’t imagine two months of self-defence courses is exactly needed when one of you people go… well anywhere in the world. I imagine a single decently trained Quincy could stride through an active war zone and still come out of it with decent odds on being unharmed.”
As he spoke the man leant down to a small fridge and pulled out two bottles of water and chucked one in her direction, it was a hot damned morning after all, as he leant against the wall to wait for her response.
He stepped around her, as if she wasn’t holding a bow of pure destruction in his direction, and opened the door. “Thirsty ‘cause I need a drink. ” he said casually.
Stepping out and seemingly just expecting the woman to follow him he left the office and entered the main room on the floor, his private training area which took up most of the top level of the building, filled with various punching bags and other training equipment all modified to withstand his powers. The room also had secret architecture to hide what was happening within from other Spiritualists and also to disguise the sounds so people downstairs wouldn’t hear him smashing the place up. That was all thanks to Irvine’s expertise.
“So you’re a Quincy then.” he said as she followed him into the large hall and closed the door behind them.
Folding his arms behind him he still wore his open and pleasant smile. “I’ve a mate who’s one of your lot. I don’t really understand the whole thing if I’m honest. You guys are like me but instead of powers being random you guys are fairly uniform or something? And your kids come out Quincy too so it’s something in the blood I guess.”
“So...” he said with a grin. “How about you tell me what you’re really looking for here? Because I can’t imagine two months of self-defence courses is exactly needed when one of you people go… well anywhere in the world. I imagine a single decently trained Quincy could stride through an active war zone and still come out of it with decent odds on being unharmed.”
As he spoke the man leant down to a small fridge and pulled out two bottles of water and chucked one in her direction, it was a hot damned morning after all, as he leant against the wall to wait for her response.
Charlie Carter- Posts : 19
Join date : 2020-07-29
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Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Aine Hayes Thu Jul 30, 2020 2:24 pm
Aine watched the man with incredulity all over her face, pivoting to keep her arrow fixed upon his head the whole time as he just strolled on by and out into the other room. Making his lame excuse for the stunt he had just pulled, he babbled something about being thirsty and left just like that. ”Oh fer fuck sake”, she grumbled and let her bow dissipate. Grabbing up her jacket from the chair, she flipped it over her arm even as she extracted a ginto tube from her belt to conceal beneath the leather boat.
Stepping out of the office, she walked back out to the landing at the top of the stairs and went through the open door behind Charlie. This new room appeared to be another training area, a quick scan of the area revealed, but her eyes trained back on the man even as he moved to shut the door behind her. For the moment hostilities were at a stand still but she was wary as fuck right now and not about to permit and stupid shit to go down. What exactly was his game anyway?
She nodded at his claim that she was Quincy waiting for him to get to the point and he was all too willing to launch into an explanation of sorts. At least it was dialogue revealing the obvious that he had a certain understanding of her race. Her right hand, hanging down at her side came up to catch the tossed water bottle with the reflexes of a woman who was very in tune to her body in relation to the world around her. Her eyes never left his face the whole time but she just shook her head at him showing no amusement at his words.
”Yeah, basically give or take a few facts. No need to play all innocent with me. I felt what you did and how very dangerous it was. Or didn’t your mate explain what to you as well?” Her words were calm but her body was held at the ready with her focus on high alert. ”I have… a different assignment in a most peculiar war zone. Or it will be once I arrive. I have to be in top form. So training is what I require. That’s really all you need to know, isn’t it?
Her arm relaxed, holding the neck of the water bottle between her index and middle finger to dangle beneath her relaxed palm. She was anything but unarmed and ready to defend herself to get out of here alive should the need arise. Although she had let her weapon go, her hold upon her Reiatsu had not and the feel of this room told her instinctively that she was in a spiritual vault. The release of much power could be performed here and none would be the wiser. Was that his talent? If so it was a classic Quincy technology and such safe rooms had largely been the reason they had survived undetected through the centuries for so long.
Well those days were long gone but that didn’t mean he didn’t have quite a few questions to answer. She would start by saying, ”Who built this vault for you Charlie? What do you hope to achieve by bringing me in here? What’s your game?”
Stepping out of the office, she walked back out to the landing at the top of the stairs and went through the open door behind Charlie. This new room appeared to be another training area, a quick scan of the area revealed, but her eyes trained back on the man even as he moved to shut the door behind her. For the moment hostilities were at a stand still but she was wary as fuck right now and not about to permit and stupid shit to go down. What exactly was his game anyway?
She nodded at his claim that she was Quincy waiting for him to get to the point and he was all too willing to launch into an explanation of sorts. At least it was dialogue revealing the obvious that he had a certain understanding of her race. Her right hand, hanging down at her side came up to catch the tossed water bottle with the reflexes of a woman who was very in tune to her body in relation to the world around her. Her eyes never left his face the whole time but she just shook her head at him showing no amusement at his words.
”Yeah, basically give or take a few facts. No need to play all innocent with me. I felt what you did and how very dangerous it was. Or didn’t your mate explain what to you as well?” Her words were calm but her body was held at the ready with her focus on high alert. ”I have… a different assignment in a most peculiar war zone. Or it will be once I arrive. I have to be in top form. So training is what I require. That’s really all you need to know, isn’t it?
Her arm relaxed, holding the neck of the water bottle between her index and middle finger to dangle beneath her relaxed palm. She was anything but unarmed and ready to defend herself to get out of here alive should the need arise. Although she had let her weapon go, her hold upon her Reiatsu had not and the feel of this room told her instinctively that she was in a spiritual vault. The release of much power could be performed here and none would be the wiser. Was that his talent? If so it was a classic Quincy technology and such safe rooms had largely been the reason they had survived undetected through the centuries for so long.
Well those days were long gone but that didn’t mean he didn’t have quite a few questions to answer. She would start by saying, ”Who built this vault for you Charlie? What do you hope to achieve by bringing me in here? What’s your game?”
Aine Hayes- Posts : 52
Join date : 2020-06-14
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Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Charlie Carter Thu Jul 30, 2020 4:16 pm
Charlie grinned, seemingly unconcerned, as she spoke. “I also know it’s just Spiritual Pressure. There’s no way it could have hurt you but it got the reaction I wanted.” he responded cheerfully. As she spoke, being obviously evasive, in her response. Shrugging he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Some super secret Quincy thing, fine it’s not my business. I’m just a guy with a gym.” he responded.
Putting the bottle of water he sat it upon the fridge and shoved his hands in his pockets. The man glanced around. “Vault? Is that what you call it?” he asked thoughtfully before shrugging. “Like I said, I have a buddy who’s a Quincy. He helped me out when I was setting this place up. He knows a lot more than I do about this whole ghosty, spiritual, magic bullshit.” he admitted.
Tilting his head. “Game? No game. I just don’t like being lied to when it comes to my gym.” he told her openly. “You can still attend the normal classes but when you train outside of class you train here so you don’t need to completely hold back. You’ll also not be going to the sparring classes unless I say otherwise, we’re a lot stronger than normal people. We can’t risk hurting them by accident. I’m sure you’re plenty controlled with your bow and whatever else it is your people can do but when it comes to throwing a punch I don’t want you doing it to normal folks.”
Gesturing around at the room he continued. “I’ll give you private lessons so you can fight someone who can actually hurt you, you’ll be paying for private sessions mind.” he added with a grin. Not that he cared about money but if she was serious about this then he would have to throw his own man hours at her to help.
Pausing he let her take a few quiet moments to decide before he asked “Fair?”
Putting the bottle of water he sat it upon the fridge and shoved his hands in his pockets. The man glanced around. “Vault? Is that what you call it?” he asked thoughtfully before shrugging. “Like I said, I have a buddy who’s a Quincy. He helped me out when I was setting this place up. He knows a lot more than I do about this whole ghosty, spiritual, magic bullshit.” he admitted.
Tilting his head. “Game? No game. I just don’t like being lied to when it comes to my gym.” he told her openly. “You can still attend the normal classes but when you train outside of class you train here so you don’t need to completely hold back. You’ll also not be going to the sparring classes unless I say otherwise, we’re a lot stronger than normal people. We can’t risk hurting them by accident. I’m sure you’re plenty controlled with your bow and whatever else it is your people can do but when it comes to throwing a punch I don’t want you doing it to normal folks.”
Gesturing around at the room he continued. “I’ll give you private lessons so you can fight someone who can actually hurt you, you’ll be paying for private sessions mind.” he added with a grin. Not that he cared about money but if she was serious about this then he would have to throw his own man hours at her to help.
Pausing he let her take a few quiet moments to decide before he asked “Fair?”
Charlie Carter- Posts : 19
Join date : 2020-07-29
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Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Aine Hayes Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:49 am
Aine shook her head and relaxed a bit. ”It’s not about what you know. It’s about showing me you got powers you suddenly brandish before me. Turning a nice little join a dojo moment into an oh fuck I’m gonna be attacked one. Clearly that is not the case, but these days are dangerous times.”
”That was the understatement of the year to be sure”, she thought, considering how to explain about the room and its properties. Slipping the ginto tube back into her belt, Aine felt she could at least relax enough to put her weapon down. ”I don’t know that a safe room or a vault has an actual name. It’s more about the materials it is constructed from than anything. I suppose a skilled crafter could make anything, even an egg beater if they wanted to or a vegetable peeler though why you’d want those sort of items is beyond me.” She looked about the room and was really amazed at the size. Did he know how rare these materials were and how costly to acquire and process?
Aine didn’t figure that he had a clue, and truth be told she had no idea either but it was a good deal more than she would ever earn in at least ten years. ”I can say, that vault comes to mind because of how costly that material is. I don’t know; if you filled this room with Hundred pound notes you’d probably still come up short. That sure is some friend you got Charlie, some friend indeed.”
Pulling up the water bottle, she uncapped the lid and took a sip while he explained his actions when it came to flourishing his spiritual pressure. He seemed to be a conscientious person but she could tell he didn’t quite understand the world in which he found himself immersed. She wasn’t all that sure that she understood it either, to be honest. There were a lot of ingrained barriers that were coming down and she didn’t know the whys and wherefores about much of it.
While he went on to explain about how the training would be conducted in order to protect the lives of his regular students, she was pleased to learn that he at least understood his particular aspects much better than herself. She hadn’t even considered what sparing against normal humans would be. Aine just assumed that if she was not actively using her Reiatsu then no one would get hurt, that all she had to do was hold back, pull her punches, and then not do so while in combat. Only that was not how Quincy grew in strength, not at all. It seemed her training here would be more fruitful than she had hoped.
Capping off the water bottle once more she replied, ”It’s more than fair. But let me explain the real danger here. It doesn’t come from me. While it is true I don’t go around wearing my official Quincy uniform declaring to all the world who and what I am, there is a good reason for that. All this ghostly, spiritual, magic bullshit?” She held her hand up in the air letting the water bottle dangle between her fingers once more and mimicked stirring a pot and continued, ”the biggest threat to everyone here is yourself. The creatures our kind attract, Hollows, feed off all living souls, not just those like us. And for some reason the Death Gods get pissy when Quincy and Spiritualists such as yourself try to do anything about it claiming that when we send those predators packing off to hell we risk destroying all of existence, but when they do it is fine and dandy.”
She shrugged and scratched at her chin a bit before saying, ”It’s not like we are undercutting their livelihood, they aren’t even of the living. That is the war, Charlie. The Shinigami are coming to exterminate us all and they can smell us out much better than we can each other. Otherwise I would have known exactly who and what you were the moment I walked in here. But until you let loose your pressure I was blind as any normal person would be.”
It was a horror that was part of her life, always having to hide herself away from the Shinigami or be responsible for the extinction of their entire race. Only recently had they been forced to throw caution away. ”They tried to exterminate us about a thousand years ago and thought it worked. The survival of our people hinged upon secrecy but that is gone now Charlie. They know we survived that genocide, they know we have multiplied, and they are coming to wipe us off the face of the earth. So, unless you spend the rest of your life inside this vault where no one can detect you? Your like the God Damn Bat signal to the Shinigami and they don’t care about human life any more than they do Quincy. To them the living are expendable, recyclable, nothing is lost. They have no concept of what it means to be alive. So naturally they go around thinking that they are the good guys.”
”That was the understatement of the year to be sure”, she thought, considering how to explain about the room and its properties. Slipping the ginto tube back into her belt, Aine felt she could at least relax enough to put her weapon down. ”I don’t know that a safe room or a vault has an actual name. It’s more about the materials it is constructed from than anything. I suppose a skilled crafter could make anything, even an egg beater if they wanted to or a vegetable peeler though why you’d want those sort of items is beyond me.” She looked about the room and was really amazed at the size. Did he know how rare these materials were and how costly to acquire and process?
Aine didn’t figure that he had a clue, and truth be told she had no idea either but it was a good deal more than she would ever earn in at least ten years. ”I can say, that vault comes to mind because of how costly that material is. I don’t know; if you filled this room with Hundred pound notes you’d probably still come up short. That sure is some friend you got Charlie, some friend indeed.”
Pulling up the water bottle, she uncapped the lid and took a sip while he explained his actions when it came to flourishing his spiritual pressure. He seemed to be a conscientious person but she could tell he didn’t quite understand the world in which he found himself immersed. She wasn’t all that sure that she understood it either, to be honest. There were a lot of ingrained barriers that were coming down and she didn’t know the whys and wherefores about much of it.
While he went on to explain about how the training would be conducted in order to protect the lives of his regular students, she was pleased to learn that he at least understood his particular aspects much better than herself. She hadn’t even considered what sparing against normal humans would be. Aine just assumed that if she was not actively using her Reiatsu then no one would get hurt, that all she had to do was hold back, pull her punches, and then not do so while in combat. Only that was not how Quincy grew in strength, not at all. It seemed her training here would be more fruitful than she had hoped.
Capping off the water bottle once more she replied, ”It’s more than fair. But let me explain the real danger here. It doesn’t come from me. While it is true I don’t go around wearing my official Quincy uniform declaring to all the world who and what I am, there is a good reason for that. All this ghostly, spiritual, magic bullshit?” She held her hand up in the air letting the water bottle dangle between her fingers once more and mimicked stirring a pot and continued, ”the biggest threat to everyone here is yourself. The creatures our kind attract, Hollows, feed off all living souls, not just those like us. And for some reason the Death Gods get pissy when Quincy and Spiritualists such as yourself try to do anything about it claiming that when we send those predators packing off to hell we risk destroying all of existence, but when they do it is fine and dandy.”
She shrugged and scratched at her chin a bit before saying, ”It’s not like we are undercutting their livelihood, they aren’t even of the living. That is the war, Charlie. The Shinigami are coming to exterminate us all and they can smell us out much better than we can each other. Otherwise I would have known exactly who and what you were the moment I walked in here. But until you let loose your pressure I was blind as any normal person would be.”
It was a horror that was part of her life, always having to hide herself away from the Shinigami or be responsible for the extinction of their entire race. Only recently had they been forced to throw caution away. ”They tried to exterminate us about a thousand years ago and thought it worked. The survival of our people hinged upon secrecy but that is gone now Charlie. They know we survived that genocide, they know we have multiplied, and they are coming to wipe us off the face of the earth. So, unless you spend the rest of your life inside this vault where no one can detect you? Your like the God Damn Bat signal to the Shinigami and they don’t care about human life any more than they do Quincy. To them the living are expendable, recyclable, nothing is lost. They have no concept of what it means to be alive. So naturally they go around thinking that they are the good guys.”
Aine Hayes- Posts : 52
Join date : 2020-06-14
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Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Charlie Carter Fri Jul 31, 2020 4:55 am
“Hmm...” he said glancing around at what looked to be a normal room, he knew it took some special fucking skills to set the place up but he wasn’t aware of any financial cost attached to it. “Can’t say he ever mentioned it.” he admitted. “He seemed to think it was important though. I suppose he knows best. Something about those mon-Hollow? Yeah Hollow. Something about them like being drawn to people with energy? Also just keeping shit private because of all the crap I don’t know how there, you know?” he said, pulling his hands out of his pockets. Charlie knew enough to know he knew practically nothing. Everything he found out was accidental. That’s something he didn’t think Quincy fully realised how easy they had it. Being born into all this stuff made it easier to understand, give them a full support network and spoon fed them all that useful information. Charlie just found stuff out by either luck or misfortune. Shinigami? Because one saved his life. Quincy? Because one had chased off the Hollow that killed his wife. His buddy? Because he was drunk and got into a fistfight after seeing the man getting attacked by thugs.
Still he enjoyed meeting these people. They were interesting and he knew he could learn something by being around him. So long as no one innocent got caught in the crossfire, especially his students, although he was sure this Aine meant no harm but it was the accident damage she could cause that worried him. He didn’t know how Quincy worked but he knew how he worked. Even suppressing his Spiritual Energy he was still far stronger and tougher than the average Human, it had also taken years of training to make sure that suppression didn’t slip when he was being pressured even in safe sparring. Splitting focus like that didn’t come easy. Of course he knew Quincy weren’t quite Human, they were further away from that than even he was. So maybe they did better but he wasn’t willing to risk it until he’d seen her control for himself.
As she accepted his terms but decided to give him a fuller explanation he nodded. “Go for it.”
Sitting on a piece of equipment he gave her his full attention as she spoke. She began talking about wars, exterminations, all sorts of mad fantasy novel shit. Still that didn’t make it untrue. Shit his whole life was fucking weirder than a Harry Potter novel.
“Sounds complicated.” he admitted. “I get the Hollow stuff, trust me on that shit, I’ve seen what they can do.”
Clearing his throat he continued. “As for these Shinigami, I know a little bit about them. I’m aware they live in some other dimension or something and that they come here to deal with ghosts either before or after they get all corrupted or something. One saved my life back in 2005 which is when I began to learn that shit. She did tell me to keep my nose out of it because as a normal dude I’m way over my head or whatever.” he said, his voice clear with annoyance. “Bullshit I say. Between Quincy and those like me there’s gotta be enough Humans around to defend people from Hollow. They can fuck off back to their own world with all that condescension.”
He grinned and shrugged. “Fuck it. What do I know. I’ll do my best to train you and whoever else fucking wants it. That I can do without getting in over my head.”
Pushing himself back to his feet he pointed towards the middle of the room. “You wana get started now then? Let me see what you know? Most of you lot have at least a bit of unarmed training, right?”
Still he enjoyed meeting these people. They were interesting and he knew he could learn something by being around him. So long as no one innocent got caught in the crossfire, especially his students, although he was sure this Aine meant no harm but it was the accident damage she could cause that worried him. He didn’t know how Quincy worked but he knew how he worked. Even suppressing his Spiritual Energy he was still far stronger and tougher than the average Human, it had also taken years of training to make sure that suppression didn’t slip when he was being pressured even in safe sparring. Splitting focus like that didn’t come easy. Of course he knew Quincy weren’t quite Human, they were further away from that than even he was. So maybe they did better but he wasn’t willing to risk it until he’d seen her control for himself.
As she accepted his terms but decided to give him a fuller explanation he nodded. “Go for it.”
Sitting on a piece of equipment he gave her his full attention as she spoke. She began talking about wars, exterminations, all sorts of mad fantasy novel shit. Still that didn’t make it untrue. Shit his whole life was fucking weirder than a Harry Potter novel.
“Sounds complicated.” he admitted. “I get the Hollow stuff, trust me on that shit, I’ve seen what they can do.”
Clearing his throat he continued. “As for these Shinigami, I know a little bit about them. I’m aware they live in some other dimension or something and that they come here to deal with ghosts either before or after they get all corrupted or something. One saved my life back in 2005 which is when I began to learn that shit. She did tell me to keep my nose out of it because as a normal dude I’m way over my head or whatever.” he said, his voice clear with annoyance. “Bullshit I say. Between Quincy and those like me there’s gotta be enough Humans around to defend people from Hollow. They can fuck off back to their own world with all that condescension.”
He grinned and shrugged. “Fuck it. What do I know. I’ll do my best to train you and whoever else fucking wants it. That I can do without getting in over my head.”
Pushing himself back to his feet he pointed towards the middle of the room. “You wana get started now then? Let me see what you know? Most of you lot have at least a bit of unarmed training, right?”
Charlie Carter- Posts : 19
Join date : 2020-07-29
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Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Aine Hayes Fri Jul 31, 2020 6:27 am
Her gamble seemed to turn out to be correct. The reference to ghost shit and the rest meant he had his own experiences with Hollow. That was no surprise for the very nature of his contamination with the ability to control and grow his own spiritual energy came from incidents with Hollows. At least she thought that was how it worked. It had been a long time since she had studied about the differences between Quincy and Spiritualist Humans, but she had been more interested in other things at the time and her only take away on the lore had been Quincy inherited it in the blood, Spiritualist caught it during some brush with the supernatural.
His incident with a Shinigami, and one that actually saved him, was a bit of a shocker to her. ”It’s a good thing you are not Quincy then, or that Shinigami would have killed you. I don’t know what makes your power semi-acceptable and my own rabid and in need of extermination, but there it is. Seems to me if it was just about them wanting to be the ones to save the world then Spiritualists would get the sword too. I mean they do, but I have never heard of a crusade dedicated to erasing you from existence.”
She shrugged and said, ”Whatever though. I have to train hard because of the mission and I don’t really have time to seek enlightenment, if you know what I mean.” Walking over to a weight machine, she draped her jacket across the bench and then moved back to face Charlie. ”Uhm, I don’t know how to heal. That wasn’t an ability I was trained in so since I have no idea what you can withstand and what you can’t I think it best to start out, well. Not with my full on abilities, you know?”
She grinned as she faced him and said, ”I’d appreciate the same courtesy, at least for starters.” Speed was her best defense, though she wasn’t a weakling compared to a normal human in her profession, she couldn’t be called a body builder by any means. Her strength came through her activities rather than pressing iron and by the look of Charlie it was laughable to think she could have matched him in brute force.
Forcing her Reishi to create a blanket of spiritual particles beneath her, she launched forward with her Hirenkyaku and would attempt to lay into his ribs with a triple punch before zipping by and arcing round to come at him once again. Her movements were erratic and didn’t follow any noticeable pattern save when it came to throwing those alternating punches with her fists. Her targets would be at whatever was best served by his own reactions be that the chin, the gut, his hip or ribs while trying to evade and keep out of the reach of his own attacks.
His incident with a Shinigami, and one that actually saved him, was a bit of a shocker to her. ”It’s a good thing you are not Quincy then, or that Shinigami would have killed you. I don’t know what makes your power semi-acceptable and my own rabid and in need of extermination, but there it is. Seems to me if it was just about them wanting to be the ones to save the world then Spiritualists would get the sword too. I mean they do, but I have never heard of a crusade dedicated to erasing you from existence.”
She shrugged and said, ”Whatever though. I have to train hard because of the mission and I don’t really have time to seek enlightenment, if you know what I mean.” Walking over to a weight machine, she draped her jacket across the bench and then moved back to face Charlie. ”Uhm, I don’t know how to heal. That wasn’t an ability I was trained in so since I have no idea what you can withstand and what you can’t I think it best to start out, well. Not with my full on abilities, you know?”
She grinned as she faced him and said, ”I’d appreciate the same courtesy, at least for starters.” Speed was her best defense, though she wasn’t a weakling compared to a normal human in her profession, she couldn’t be called a body builder by any means. Her strength came through her activities rather than pressing iron and by the look of Charlie it was laughable to think she could have matched him in brute force.
Forcing her Reishi to create a blanket of spiritual particles beneath her, she launched forward with her Hirenkyaku and would attempt to lay into his ribs with a triple punch before zipping by and arcing round to come at him once again. Her movements were erratic and didn’t follow any noticeable pattern save when it came to throwing those alternating punches with her fists. Her targets would be at whatever was best served by his own reactions be that the chin, the gut, his hip or ribs while trying to evade and keep out of the reach of his own attacks.
Aine Hayes- Posts : 52
Join date : 2020-06-14
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Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Charlie Carter Fri Jul 31, 2020 8:42 am
She was barely holding back from ranting and raving about these ghost swordsmen, damn they’d really pissed her and her people off. He couldn’t help but wonder if that was one sided or if the Quincy had started some shit so long ago that they didn’t remember but the Shinigami did. They where long lived as fuck right?
“Hmm that sucks. Hopefully you folks can work it out.” he said with a shrug moving to the other side of the room and stretching a bit as he got himself ready for the sparring match.
As the woman moved to her place he nodded. “Frankly do whatever you want. I’m curious to see your combat ability and what we need to fix with training. But do dial into it. A broken arm would be a right pain in the ass.” he added with a smirk.
Preparing himself as Aine took her place at the other side of the sparring mat from him and closing his eyes Charlie reached into himself. He wrapped his mental grasp around the ball of burning power deep within his soul and drew it out. A faint aura began to flow outwards from the man, less powerfully than before, but that unmasked aggression still flooded through.
“When you’re ready.”
The woman shot forward towards him, quickly, quicker than he could move. He stood perfectly still, his hands raised up in a guard, as his eyes followed her movements. She flickered towards him as she attempted to throw punches at him. He dropped his arm and elbowed the top of her wrist hard to deflect the first punch before parrying the next two. Still not moving. She circled him with her superior speed as she moved and still Charlie stood in his relatively relaxed stance with his hands held up for defence.
She came at him again, once more attacking his front, and instead of trying to defend he simply waited until she came into range before throwing a front kick straight at her chest. The blow came fast and hard but he didn’t use his power.
Not yet anyway.
“Ground yourself. The power of your blows should come from your stance, not just from your arms. The vast majority of power comes from the lower and posterior chain of muscles.” he said calmly, teacherly as he waited for her next attempt.
“Dial it up. Don’t worry the room can withstand it.”
“Hmm that sucks. Hopefully you folks can work it out.” he said with a shrug moving to the other side of the room and stretching a bit as he got himself ready for the sparring match.
As the woman moved to her place he nodded. “Frankly do whatever you want. I’m curious to see your combat ability and what we need to fix with training. But do dial into it. A broken arm would be a right pain in the ass.” he added with a smirk.
Preparing himself as Aine took her place at the other side of the sparring mat from him and closing his eyes Charlie reached into himself. He wrapped his mental grasp around the ball of burning power deep within his soul and drew it out. A faint aura began to flow outwards from the man, less powerfully than before, but that unmasked aggression still flooded through.
“When you’re ready.”
The woman shot forward towards him, quickly, quicker than he could move. He stood perfectly still, his hands raised up in a guard, as his eyes followed her movements. She flickered towards him as she attempted to throw punches at him. He dropped his arm and elbowed the top of her wrist hard to deflect the first punch before parrying the next two. Still not moving. She circled him with her superior speed as she moved and still Charlie stood in his relatively relaxed stance with his hands held up for defence.
She came at him again, once more attacking his front, and instead of trying to defend he simply waited until she came into range before throwing a front kick straight at her chest. The blow came fast and hard but he didn’t use his power.
Not yet anyway.
“Ground yourself. The power of your blows should come from your stance, not just from your arms. The vast majority of power comes from the lower and posterior chain of muscles.” he said calmly, teacherly as he waited for her next attempt.
“Dial it up. Don’t worry the room can withstand it.”
Charlie Carter- Posts : 19
Join date : 2020-07-29
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Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Aine Hayes Fri Jul 31, 2020 12:41 pm
The thing about moving at incredible speeds, and she was not at her max by far, was that the movement could get you killed if the rest of your reflexes and spatial awareness did not also keep pace. In short, you couldn’t just run and without risking severe injury if you were not also able to dodge that damned car that decided to run a red light as you were jaywalking, er jayrunning, your way through traffic. Her training in order to even reach the basic skill had included not only navigation and a heightening or her perception and reaction times, but the incorporation of her ranged weaponry with respect to accuracy and rate of arrows fired.
The blocking of her blows was just par for the course and no more than she expected as she was trying to gauge her strength against that of Charlie’s. True, the elbow to her wrist had stung but that too only helped to clue her in to how hard to come across in return. As yet neither were letting go with even half their force let alone going all out.
When he struck out at her with a front kick, she took it for the attention getter it was meant to be, managing to hop back a half step while raising the knee of her left leg high to block. A bit of a pivot as she landed and his foot struck her on the outside of her thigh. Letting her Hirenkyaku go, she shifted her weight back and forth between her feet while she stood in place and listened to his teaching. ”Yes, Sensei”, she said reflexively and prepared to make the adjustments for the next round.
Rusty as she was, his words caused her to refocus on the basics she already knew. Moving forward to engage him once more, this time without the enhancement of her speed, the strikes from her fists aimed to get round his defenses the best she could. This time she would incorporate side kicks to his ribs as she circled him, mostly with her right leg but alternating this up with her left. For Aine these were just practice punches to alter her form and before long she activated her speed boosting power once more.
It was a foreign concept for her, being a ranged fighter and constantly changing position while she did all tended to keep her focus at a distance from herself. But with this hand to hand combat she was not as adept in incorporating the Hirenkyaku with kicks as she would have preferred. It seemed to have a bit of a stop motion effect with his nearly blurring in motion to then stop on a dime and deliver her kicks. She could feel a sense of frustration welling up inside her but continued to keep herself centered enough to add force to her kicks from her core and lower chain of muscles. At one point she finally took the chance to try a few jump kicks, even aiming one for his chin and knew that if this one landed he was certain to feel her make a forceful strike.
The blocking of her blows was just par for the course and no more than she expected as she was trying to gauge her strength against that of Charlie’s. True, the elbow to her wrist had stung but that too only helped to clue her in to how hard to come across in return. As yet neither were letting go with even half their force let alone going all out.
When he struck out at her with a front kick, she took it for the attention getter it was meant to be, managing to hop back a half step while raising the knee of her left leg high to block. A bit of a pivot as she landed and his foot struck her on the outside of her thigh. Letting her Hirenkyaku go, she shifted her weight back and forth between her feet while she stood in place and listened to his teaching. ”Yes, Sensei”, she said reflexively and prepared to make the adjustments for the next round.
Rusty as she was, his words caused her to refocus on the basics she already knew. Moving forward to engage him once more, this time without the enhancement of her speed, the strikes from her fists aimed to get round his defenses the best she could. This time she would incorporate side kicks to his ribs as she circled him, mostly with her right leg but alternating this up with her left. For Aine these were just practice punches to alter her form and before long she activated her speed boosting power once more.
It was a foreign concept for her, being a ranged fighter and constantly changing position while she did all tended to keep her focus at a distance from herself. But with this hand to hand combat she was not as adept in incorporating the Hirenkyaku with kicks as she would have preferred. It seemed to have a bit of a stop motion effect with his nearly blurring in motion to then stop on a dime and deliver her kicks. She could feel a sense of frustration welling up inside her but continued to keep herself centered enough to add force to her kicks from her core and lower chain of muscles. At one point she finally took the chance to try a few jump kicks, even aiming one for his chin and knew that if this one landed he was certain to feel her make a forceful strike.
Aine Hayes- Posts : 52
Join date : 2020-06-14
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Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Charlie Carter Fri Jul 31, 2020 1:22 pm
Letting her resettle herself he nodded as she shuffled back into a new stance. He could see the amateurish nature of her movements, the unsurety in the stance, standing too narrow for proper balance etc. Which meant she didn’t really know what she was doing. That was fine though. That was why she was here. If she moved like an expert he’d let her know any lessons would be wasted on her.
She finally came at him throwing kicks and he easily blocked the attacks, moving back slowly as he did so, his stance remaining stable. Suddenly she tried a jump kick and Charlie caught it easily, holding her leg by the ankle so that she nearly toppled over when landing on the other foot. Raising the leg uncomfortably high he raised an eyebrow. “All the kicks is part of why Taekowndo is so dangerous to try and use for self-defence.” he told her calmly as if discussing the weather. “I prefer keeping kicks low unless I’m sure I can land it, you know?” he asked. His Spiritual Pressure began to build up slightly and he pushed back her leg hard with enough strength to practically throw her backwards.
Tilting his head to one side and then the other way. A cracking noise followed suit and then a feeling of freedom as it loosened up. “Ah great.” he said happily. “Well I suppose I should do something.”
Taking a few steps forward he let his Spiritual Pressure pour out freely, he wasn’t forcibly exerting it, but it’s full strength could be felt as the aggressive green energy flowed outwards like a raging flame. The energy collapsed and he leapt forward, a flicker of speed, but not too quick. He didn’t need to move fast.
Crossing the small distance between them in the blink of an eye he threw a hand at her face, an open palm strike which he pulled at the last moment, using it to just cover her line of sight for a moment. His other hand shot out, although he pulled it at the last minute, and the palm strike was more like a solid push into her gut. Then dropping low he threw a leg to sweep her off her feet. The combo was the easy flow of a man who had only gotten better since his retirement as a multi-title MMA and Karate world tournament champ.
She finally came at him throwing kicks and he easily blocked the attacks, moving back slowly as he did so, his stance remaining stable. Suddenly she tried a jump kick and Charlie caught it easily, holding her leg by the ankle so that she nearly toppled over when landing on the other foot. Raising the leg uncomfortably high he raised an eyebrow. “All the kicks is part of why Taekowndo is so dangerous to try and use for self-defence.” he told her calmly as if discussing the weather. “I prefer keeping kicks low unless I’m sure I can land it, you know?” he asked. His Spiritual Pressure began to build up slightly and he pushed back her leg hard with enough strength to practically throw her backwards.
Tilting his head to one side and then the other way. A cracking noise followed suit and then a feeling of freedom as it loosened up. “Ah great.” he said happily. “Well I suppose I should do something.”
Taking a few steps forward he let his Spiritual Pressure pour out freely, he wasn’t forcibly exerting it, but it’s full strength could be felt as the aggressive green energy flowed outwards like a raging flame. The energy collapsed and he leapt forward, a flicker of speed, but not too quick. He didn’t need to move fast.
Crossing the small distance between them in the blink of an eye he threw a hand at her face, an open palm strike which he pulled at the last moment, using it to just cover her line of sight for a moment. His other hand shot out, although he pulled it at the last minute, and the palm strike was more like a solid push into her gut. Then dropping low he threw a leg to sweep her off her feet. The combo was the easy flow of a man who had only gotten better since his retirement as a multi-title MMA and Karate world tournament champ.
Charlie Carter- Posts : 19
Join date : 2020-07-29
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Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Aine Hayes Sat Aug 01, 2020 3:41 am
Snatched in mid air, Aine nearly lost her footing when she landed from the kick that had allowed Charlie to take hold of her ankle that way. Her arms spread out wide trying to keep a balance that was unstable at best, when suddenly he elevated her foot just a bit more so that she had to rise up on the tips of her toes to keep from falling. Even as limber as she was due to her normal runs and stretches, she was gonna be sore from that by nightfall for sure.
His words made sense but it also called to mind she still had not been completely honest with him; she was not here for defense classes. The Quincy had been living defensively for centuries in their posture of silence and secrecy. All of that was done now that the Shinigami knew of their existence, and defensive mode would also have to go by way of the road. They had to take on the offensive agenda this time if they were going to make a difference.
When he shoved her away she was hard pressed to keep back peddling fast enough in order to retain her footing at all. She could feel his spiritual pressure welling up once more, noting the greenness of it all like some mystic essence rising from the swamps. ”No”, she thought, ”this is like some sci-fi ooze or alien fire.” It didn’t matter for she could feel the threatening aura of his power that just tasted of nothing but danger.
Charlie didn’t waste time crossing the distance to bring his attack to bear, and though she was not just standing around like a practice dummy, the results were pretty much the same as if she had been. He faked her out with a punch to the face, exposing her stomach, and swept her legs right out from under her. Easy as pie. Oh she rolled through the fall and didn’t crack her head on anything. That was something she didn’t even think about anymore.
Pushing herself to her feet, she smiled and nodded to the dojo owner. ”I presume you use spiritual pressure to enhance your punches much the same way that I use it to move swiftly”, she commented out loud. Or did he? Did he cause a focus of Reishi to gather before his fists and add force to his blows, or did his power somehow increase his physical ability, the effect being on his body and not the environment?
More importantly, was it something she could learn. What would he make of it if she told him that she was planning on invading the home realm of the Shinigami, she wondered. Would he have some sort of debt of gratitude for the one that had saved him in the past? She also wondered if he had gotten that Death God’s name. She really should question him on that encounter soon. Every detail they could gather on the enemy would be just one more useless bit of trivia?
She wiped her head then let her hands relax down at her side waiting for him to explain or maybe tell her to mind her own business. Whichever. Aine knew she was having a hard time being optimistic about their chances of finding Michael, let alone getting him out of Soul Society alive. Eying Charlie she hadn’t ignored that bit about what he thought the Shinigami could do when it came to keeping his nose out of the fight against Hollows. Fifteen years ago, he had said, and something about it being back when he was learning about all this shit.
Aine felt she finally had constructed a question that might open him up a bit, not that he seemed secretive at all. ”That Shinigami, what was her name? From back then that saved you. Did she have anything to do with the event that awakened your abilities Charlie or was that much longer ago than that?”
His words made sense but it also called to mind she still had not been completely honest with him; she was not here for defense classes. The Quincy had been living defensively for centuries in their posture of silence and secrecy. All of that was done now that the Shinigami knew of their existence, and defensive mode would also have to go by way of the road. They had to take on the offensive agenda this time if they were going to make a difference.
When he shoved her away she was hard pressed to keep back peddling fast enough in order to retain her footing at all. She could feel his spiritual pressure welling up once more, noting the greenness of it all like some mystic essence rising from the swamps. ”No”, she thought, ”this is like some sci-fi ooze or alien fire.” It didn’t matter for she could feel the threatening aura of his power that just tasted of nothing but danger.
Charlie didn’t waste time crossing the distance to bring his attack to bear, and though she was not just standing around like a practice dummy, the results were pretty much the same as if she had been. He faked her out with a punch to the face, exposing her stomach, and swept her legs right out from under her. Easy as pie. Oh she rolled through the fall and didn’t crack her head on anything. That was something she didn’t even think about anymore.
Pushing herself to her feet, she smiled and nodded to the dojo owner. ”I presume you use spiritual pressure to enhance your punches much the same way that I use it to move swiftly”, she commented out loud. Or did he? Did he cause a focus of Reishi to gather before his fists and add force to his blows, or did his power somehow increase his physical ability, the effect being on his body and not the environment?
More importantly, was it something she could learn. What would he make of it if she told him that she was planning on invading the home realm of the Shinigami, she wondered. Would he have some sort of debt of gratitude for the one that had saved him in the past? She also wondered if he had gotten that Death God’s name. She really should question him on that encounter soon. Every detail they could gather on the enemy would be just one more useless bit of trivia?
She wiped her head then let her hands relax down at her side waiting for him to explain or maybe tell her to mind her own business. Whichever. Aine knew she was having a hard time being optimistic about their chances of finding Michael, let alone getting him out of Soul Society alive. Eying Charlie she hadn’t ignored that bit about what he thought the Shinigami could do when it came to keeping his nose out of the fight against Hollows. Fifteen years ago, he had said, and something about it being back when he was learning about all this shit.
Aine felt she finally had constructed a question that might open him up a bit, not that he seemed secretive at all. ”That Shinigami, what was her name? From back then that saved you. Did she have anything to do with the event that awakened your abilities Charlie or was that much longer ago than that?”
Aine Hayes- Posts : 52
Join date : 2020-06-14
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Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Charlie Carter Sat Aug 01, 2020 6:50 am
“Hmm...” he pondered aloud dropping his hands as he tucked his thumbs behind his worn black belt. “Sort of. When I loosen by control over my Ki, ah my Spiritual Pressure as you say.” he corrected before continuing. “Well anyway my strength, speed and whatever else gets stronger when I’m not holding that energy back.” he explained.
Frowning thoughtfully he tried to recall what he’d learn from friends and freak run-ins over the years. “From my understanding of it my power comes from a well of energy inside. What I call Ki or Chi but I think others call it Spiritual Energy. Either way I have a finite amount of the energy which replenishes. I have heard Hollow and possibly even Shinigami function in the same manner.” he told her. The information had largely been told to him confidently but they admitted the Shinigami bit was more just based on observation. He supposed they weren’t really out to educate mortals on how their powers worked. “Anyway I’ve been told it works differently for your lot. You guys are more reliant on manipulating energy in the air? Called uhh Res..Resh...R-Reshi? Is that it? Anyway from what I’ve heard that means if you guys find a place rich enough in it then you guys could fight for ages without exhausting your energy source. That sounds pretty fucking useful. Although I’ve heard there isn’t really a lot of that Spiritual Energy in the air anywhere in the World but still more than enough for you guys to use your power when combined with your own inner well of energy.”
Walking over to a punching bag he threw a punch at it, the heavy bag reinforced by his Quincy friend, barely moved when the hard punch connected with it. He threw a few others before glancing at the woman. “My power as you would call it is this.” he said.
Closing his eyes he began to think about the Hollow that murdered his wife, the Shinigami telling him to sit the fuck down and remember his lowly mortal place and all the other shit in his past.
Anger built up in his chest then, suddenly, the pale eternal green energy began to gather around his fists like unnatural flames. They flickered dangerous as he threw a punch at the bag causing it to fly backwards hard enough that it nearly got knocked off it’s hook. “I concentrate the Ki around my fists and it makes me hit harder basically. I’ve cracked reinforced steel and concrete before using this. I’m not sure what the upper-limit is.”
Letting the energy fade away Charlie tucked his thumbs back under the belt of his gi again while thinking. “Hmm… no they just saved me. Her name? Shit I can’t remember to be honest.” he admitted. “Give me some time to think it’ll come to me… but she had nothing to do with these… I dunno what you call them, gifts I guess. I could see ghosts since I was a kid and then I got jumped by some thugs when I was a teenager. I got pissed and then bam, nearly killed the fuckers by accident when these green fists of fury showed up.”
Shrugged the martial artist glanced out the one-way window. “Shit happens but at least I discovered all this stuff.”
Frowning thoughtfully he tried to recall what he’d learn from friends and freak run-ins over the years. “From my understanding of it my power comes from a well of energy inside. What I call Ki or Chi but I think others call it Spiritual Energy. Either way I have a finite amount of the energy which replenishes. I have heard Hollow and possibly even Shinigami function in the same manner.” he told her. The information had largely been told to him confidently but they admitted the Shinigami bit was more just based on observation. He supposed they weren’t really out to educate mortals on how their powers worked. “Anyway I’ve been told it works differently for your lot. You guys are more reliant on manipulating energy in the air? Called uhh Res..Resh...R-Reshi? Is that it? Anyway from what I’ve heard that means if you guys find a place rich enough in it then you guys could fight for ages without exhausting your energy source. That sounds pretty fucking useful. Although I’ve heard there isn’t really a lot of that Spiritual Energy in the air anywhere in the World but still more than enough for you guys to use your power when combined with your own inner well of energy.”
Walking over to a punching bag he threw a punch at it, the heavy bag reinforced by his Quincy friend, barely moved when the hard punch connected with it. He threw a few others before glancing at the woman. “My power as you would call it is this.” he said.
Closing his eyes he began to think about the Hollow that murdered his wife, the Shinigami telling him to sit the fuck down and remember his lowly mortal place and all the other shit in his past.
Anger built up in his chest then, suddenly, the pale eternal green energy began to gather around his fists like unnatural flames. They flickered dangerous as he threw a punch at the bag causing it to fly backwards hard enough that it nearly got knocked off it’s hook. “I concentrate the Ki around my fists and it makes me hit harder basically. I’ve cracked reinforced steel and concrete before using this. I’m not sure what the upper-limit is.”
Letting the energy fade away Charlie tucked his thumbs back under the belt of his gi again while thinking. “Hmm… no they just saved me. Her name? Shit I can’t remember to be honest.” he admitted. “Give me some time to think it’ll come to me… but she had nothing to do with these… I dunno what you call them, gifts I guess. I could see ghosts since I was a kid and then I got jumped by some thugs when I was a teenager. I got pissed and then bam, nearly killed the fuckers by accident when these green fists of fury showed up.”
Shrugged the martial artist glanced out the one-way window. “Shit happens but at least I discovered all this stuff.”
Charlie Carter- Posts : 19
Join date : 2020-07-29
Aine Hayes likes this post
Re: Pumped Up Kicks [Closed/Charlie]
by Aine Hayes Sun Aug 02, 2020 11:22 am
Aine found that to be very interesting, the way he spoke about loosening his control over his Ki to bolster his strength and speed. That begged the question what would happen if he ever lost the ability to hold such restraint in check. It was an odd way of looking at things and totally backward from her own use of spiritual energy. While she did have a well within herself, she drew heavily upon the world around her to bolster and energize her abilities. Her struggle with control came in harnessing that power from outside the body while his seemed to come from preventing its reckless escape. Surely he wasn’t that volatile, otherwise how would he manage to sleep?
His further explanation put those concerns to rest and she realized that he was not talking about an ever increasing generator but one that was finite and prone to exhaustion, the same as anyone else’s would be. She nodded her head and said, ”That makes a lot of sense actually and a good way to describe the differences.” As he went on to clue her into what he had heard about Quincy, she smiled and nodded in agreement. She did add a caveat of her own , however, when she said, ”That’s correct. Reishi is the life force in everything and it takes very little for Quincy to manipulate and power their abilities. When it is stored inside our bodies we call that Reiryoku and when we put it to use, that energy is then called Reiatsu, that pressure I could feel when you let go of your control.”
Aine couldn’t say with certainty that ‘X’ event had to happen to cause ‘Y’ human to become an awakened individual, one who could wield spiritual energy and detect both Hollow and Shinigami as they traversed the living world. All she knew was that the ability did not come through the blood as an inherited trait like it did with her own kind. Somehow that difference made Quincy villainous, propelling the Shinigami to wipe them from the face of the earth. Despite being public enemy number one on the Death God hit list, she would have rather been brought up a Quincy than to fend for herself and try to figure out everything on her own, like Charlie had done.
Shaking her head she said, ”I can’t even imagine how you kept from going insane wondering what was going on. It must have been the most frightening thing to ever happen to you while growing up.”
His demonstration of his green fists of fury was quite compelling and she could well see how this sort of physical enhancement would be useful in combating Hollows who came to spread their terror in the night. She wondered how their abilities would stack up against each other and said after a short break, ”Care to step things up a bit more?”
Charlie had said to show him what she had, to do whatever she wanted, assuring her the room could take it, and he didn’t back down from that offer, not even when she manifested her bow once more. She was not about to use her most powerful attacks, but just some low level arrows to push and see what the barriers were between their abilities. Aine knew that more than likely the tough part would be in keeping her distance for if he chose to fight close range his power would outstrip her own.
Using Reishi to enhance her speed once again, Aine sped about the room on a platform of particles firing off bolts of arrows in a much more fluid attack pattern than she had delivered her punches and kicks. Even so, she never fired for typical kill spots such as his head. The arrows may just feel like getting whacked by a stiff baton and sting for quite a while afterward, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t put one of his eyes out for him. Definitely not a good way to score a point with Sensei.
His further explanation put those concerns to rest and she realized that he was not talking about an ever increasing generator but one that was finite and prone to exhaustion, the same as anyone else’s would be. She nodded her head and said, ”That makes a lot of sense actually and a good way to describe the differences.” As he went on to clue her into what he had heard about Quincy, she smiled and nodded in agreement. She did add a caveat of her own , however, when she said, ”That’s correct. Reishi is the life force in everything and it takes very little for Quincy to manipulate and power their abilities. When it is stored inside our bodies we call that Reiryoku and when we put it to use, that energy is then called Reiatsu, that pressure I could feel when you let go of your control.”
Aine couldn’t say with certainty that ‘X’ event had to happen to cause ‘Y’ human to become an awakened individual, one who could wield spiritual energy and detect both Hollow and Shinigami as they traversed the living world. All she knew was that the ability did not come through the blood as an inherited trait like it did with her own kind. Somehow that difference made Quincy villainous, propelling the Shinigami to wipe them from the face of the earth. Despite being public enemy number one on the Death God hit list, she would have rather been brought up a Quincy than to fend for herself and try to figure out everything on her own, like Charlie had done.
Shaking her head she said, ”I can’t even imagine how you kept from going insane wondering what was going on. It must have been the most frightening thing to ever happen to you while growing up.”
His demonstration of his green fists of fury was quite compelling and she could well see how this sort of physical enhancement would be useful in combating Hollows who came to spread their terror in the night. She wondered how their abilities would stack up against each other and said after a short break, ”Care to step things up a bit more?”
Charlie had said to show him what she had, to do whatever she wanted, assuring her the room could take it, and he didn’t back down from that offer, not even when she manifested her bow once more. She was not about to use her most powerful attacks, but just some low level arrows to push and see what the barriers were between their abilities. Aine knew that more than likely the tough part would be in keeping her distance for if he chose to fight close range his power would outstrip her own.
Using Reishi to enhance her speed once again, Aine sped about the room on a platform of particles firing off bolts of arrows in a much more fluid attack pattern than she had delivered her punches and kicks. Even so, she never fired for typical kill spots such as his head. The arrows may just feel like getting whacked by a stiff baton and sting for quite a while afterward, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t put one of his eyes out for him. Definitely not a good way to score a point with Sensei.
Aine Hayes- Posts : 52
Join date : 2020-06-14
Charlie Carter likes this post
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