noteasytobepink | The problem with dangerous people...

Who: Clarice and other students
When: Off and on through her time in Bill's world.
What: Clarice stays sharp. Sort of. It's complicated.

She didn't do much until she was cleared, medically. Only an idiot pushed an injury when there was the option to rest. She even did physical therapy religiously, but given mutant bodies, well, she tended to heal better than expected. She didn't have a healing factor, no, but she did have the heightened metabolism and that tended to help when she had the option of decent nutrition.

She tried to take the down time as a gift, she did. She only ran at first. A lot, on the ground, along the mountains, through the trees, she just ran, keeping up her wind. But a month stretched into a handful of months and she took up climbing and woodland parkour, trying to simulate vectors and angles she encountered in combat.

Then it happened; it was simple, and stupid and it shouldn't have bothered her because she had a good thing here, but she got winded. Doing something simple, for her, was harder than it should have been. It should have been alright because it was a sign, right? That she didn't need the combat skills any more. Not here, there was nothing to keep her sharp...

...but she couldn't really believe that. Working as a florist, hah, dangerous stuff. Stepping up to deputy? A breeze, and...she couldn't let the skills go. Something small, and terrified, and grim deep inside said she couldn't, and that voice had never led her wrong.

That just meant she had to get creative because no one would approve, especially not Bil.

When trapped and unable to train? Go to the source. Go to the people Mr. Creed had lived with for a while that had given him skills to teach her.

...or go to that area of the world anyway and hope to find someone who spoke with fists and feet properly.

She went to Vietnam. Stepping away for a few hours here and there to comb dripping jungles, watching and waiting until she saw the proper style. Perisai Diri was obvious even to her who'd learned it piece meal and adapted to a young, flexible teleporter. She didn't know the language beyond afew polite phrases given as ritual to teachers; she didn't have to.

She did have to stand up to being tested, women, after all, were not known as fighters even in Vietnam. Not hand to hand fighters anyway. She was in shape enough to pass that at least, though no one would call her a master by any means.

She couldn't even dedicate a few hours every day in training over there, just enough to stay sharp. Just enough to know the people coming at her when they lined up in a class or in a brawl session could be better than her. That edge of 'I'm not enough' that was true training. She always managed to scrape through. She was a lot like those she trained with after all, a child of depredation and war. They trained to keep a tradition of holding their land, she trained against them to stay alive, and they taught each other some interesting tricks as snatched weeks bled into months which hemorrhaged into years.

Bill had his alone time to relax and do his own thing; she had hers. It was more relaxing, at times, than even sex because it was confirmation that she could survive. Even in a world such as this there were people who understood, as the man she was growing to love didn't, and so she allowed silence.

She didn't ask where he spent his free time when they didn't have plans; she didn't offer what she did with hers. It was the best she could do some days, even days like this when she slipped in the back door covered in mud along one side and eyes still glowing from power use and high emotion. There had been an honor awarded tonight; it was a good thing...she just...wasn't sure Bill would understand if she offered to share the honor as she'd been invited to.

She wasn't sure how to ask.

One thing was certain though, she'd need a shower before she decided anything, yes.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

noteasytobepink

"Oh yes," she laughed, wrapping her fingers in his hair because she could, "just not on days when I have to be somewhere on time and they're in another time zone! We can sleep when we get back?"

From:

wheelsy_sheriff

"Alright, alright," he said with a yawn, bowing his head. "I guess I'm up, then."

From:

noteasytobepink

"You guess?" she teased, tweaking his ear gently, "that'll do. You're not the one who has to be sharp and able anyway!" Nope, that was her!

From:

wheelsy_sheriff

"Yeah, I suppose I don't. S'all you today," he said, giving her a smile before getting up out of bed.

From:

noteasytobepink

"All me getting interesting bruises I can whine about later," she laughed, tossing a tanktop at him, "And your job is to tell me to quit whining 'cause I brought it all on myself and such..."

From:

wheelsy_sheriff

"Oh, you ain't gettin' any sympathy from me," he said, catching the shirt. "Was you who just had t'learn Vietnamese karate."

From:

noteasytobepink

"Not even if I pout?" she laughed and bounced on her toes. "You'll want shoes...pants optional? I like you without pants...."

From:

wheelsy_sheriff

"Since when has poutin' ever gotten me sympathy?" he said, heading for the dresser to pull a pair of pants.

"An' I'll be wearin' pants. We're goin' to another country across the world to hang out with a bunch of kung fu masters. I'd rather do that with my britches on, thank you."

From:

noteasytobepink

"It got you blankets when you had the flu! And soup!" she pointed out cheerfully. Ah, but the pants got a raspberry. BOO PANTS!

Ah well. "Sure I guess presentable has it's advantages too. Ready lover?"

From:

wheelsy_sheriff

No.

He really wasn't ready for this at all, but he'd said he was going. And he certainly wasn't about to send her off alone.

Putting on a smile, he held up a 'hold' sign, heading out of the room for the bathroom.

"Gimme a minute, I'll be right there."

From:

noteasytobepink

It wasn't like she was marching him to his death or anything! It was just...tradition...to have someone you cared about waiting. It helped people come back, kept them focused, that kind of thing. "Alright, I'll be waiting babe!"

From:

wheelsy_sheriff

Bill still wasn't as comfortable with the idea of her training in another country (and not telling him) as he was trying to pretend to be. He didn't know what to expect, what she was supposed to do, or what he was supposed to do, and after yesterday's argument he was treading carefully.

It didn't take him long to get cleaned up and rejoin her, dressed and ready to go.

"Alright. Let's go see you kick some butt."

From:

noteasytobepink

"You know what? It gives me the warm fuzzies that you'll come you know..." she mused, slinging an arm around his waist to pull him close enough for a kiss. "With my team, my dad, growing up? You fought or you died, no one sat on the sidelines cheering you on, no one thought it was...special. Do or die. I know that's not your way lover, and I know you prefer not to think about me being dangerous...so it's double hard for you to come support me and that means a lot." She knew he didn't get it.

He never had a life that demanded he understand.

Coming anyway? Had to be hard as hell.

Best not to give either of them time for second thoughts. She palmed a large stick and tossed it at the wall, a gate to a sunset stained, dripping and ancient forest. "Short walk, I promise. Just don't want to spook the natives with teleporting."

From:

wheelsy_sheriff

Her words made his smile stronger, and he realized he was doing the right thing here.

"Y'matter t'me, of course I'm gonna come out an' support you." He might not understand, but he could at least get that this was important to her.

He nodded when she explained where she put the portal. It made sense, and he certainly didn't want to upset the natives. Stepping through her portals wasn't weird at all anymore, and Bill crossed over with only a small bit of apprehension, and that had everything to do with where they were going and nothing to do with her talent.

"Muggy," he noted about the jungle, glancing back at the house then having a look around.

From:

noteasytobepink

"Yeah," she agreed with a laugh as she stepped through behind him and closed the portal, "but mosquitoes aren't native here at least?" So hey, that was an awesome point!

"Follow me babe, and don't worry, we won't have to talk much!" The path was...nonexistent. She navigated through familiarity more than anything else and it wasn't long before mist shrouded huts emerged between the trees ahead.

From:

wheelsy_sheriff

Bill followed her into the brush, trying to remember if lions and tigers were a thing in Vietnam.

"I don't mind not talkin'," he confessed, since he didn't know a lick of Vietnamese. "Should I uh... bow or somethin' when we meet folk?"

From:

noteasytobepink

"Nodding is just fine, be polite, smile and be charming beyond language," she chuckled. "You're good at that. Everyone here will be just as worried for their people in the ring, that makes you all brothers in arms as it were. Just don't attempt to interfere love."

From:

wheelsy_sheriff

He smiled when she called him charming, and nodded to her direction.

Not interfering... he'd do his best. And really he knew she was good, and he knew she could handle herself so his interference wasn't likely going to be needed anyways.

"Alright. I can whoop an' cheer for you, though, right?" he teased with a grin.

From:

noteasytobepink

"Of course, if sound was distracting we wouldn't have made it to this level!" she laughed. "And here we are. This village has preserved this particular hand to hand combat style for generations. It's an honor," and she honestly meant that, "to be accepted as a trainee." She bowed her head, and only that, to the people at the edge of the clearing.

In the center was a small, raised platform in a circle, perhaps a little larger than a wrestling ring, and there were several couples kissing or patting shoulders and the liek in encouragement.

From:

wheelsy_sheriff

Bill could hear the honesty in her voice and nodded his head in understanding. This was very obviously a big deal to her, and he tempered his amusement and humor. He wanted her to know he supported her.

He inclined his head to the people and looked towards the platform.

"I know you're gonna do great."

From:

noteasytobepink

"That or get my ass kicked," she admitted wryly, turning to kiss him. "I'm not the best here, not by far." In fact, take away her mutant ability and she was about average. Flexible, creative, and deadly, yes...but this area had just as much ability to turn out grim survivors as her world had.

"And hey, I'm holding out hope you'll find me fighting people as sexy. That would be such a bonus!"

From:

wheelsy_sheriff

That was a little scary if it was true, considering he'd seen her fight and knew a lot of what she was capable of.

Returning the kiss he gave her a reassuring smile.

"You'll do great."

Giving her a once over, he shrugged a shoulder. "Who says I don't?"

From:

noteasytobepink

"Eh, bar fights give you the fake smile past a certain point, and lines between your eyebrows if I talk about fights I encounter while woods running!" she listed cheerfully. "But that's okay, I'm sure I make the same faces when you and the precinct boys talk about football." It was just a thing? And fighting wasn't his thing? She'd just been hyped and babbling more than anything.

"Okay, final round in the ring, testing the people the elder picked, and those who prove out here will withdraw for a time to learn final techniques. That's the gameplan!"

From:

wheelsy_sheriff

Well he couldn't really argue or deny that, could he?

Still, he supported her and wanted her to know that. "I'm proud of you, alright? Good luck in there, I'm sure you'll do great."