master_bruce | OOM: Date

Entry tags:

OOM: Date

He's more nervous about this than he'd care to admit. It's not helped by the fact that when the time came to go and meet X, he couldn't find a route to the bar. He'd resorted to opening every door in Wayne Manor and...well. It's a really big house.

Eventually, it was the front door that gave in and put him out of his misery. So he'd taken a breath and gone on through, dressed casually in jeans and a plain, untucked, white shirt and sneakers. It had taken a while to decide on what to wear because he had no way of predicting what she would wear and had guessed, in the end, that she'll opt for casual as well. Especially as they talked about sparring. And...caves. Maybe.

So, here he is. Jeans and combed hair, clean shaved and just a dash of expensive cologne, opening the door from Milliways onto the expanse of entrance hall that welcomes people to Wayne Manor.

There is also an Alfred, which he was not expecting. An enquiring look at his friend receives a silent reply of I know when you're getting ready to meet a young lady, Master Bruce, conveyed neatly with just the lifting of one corner of his mouth.

Bruce looks at X, slightly off-stride already.

'This is Alfred. Alfred, this is...X.'

If the man looks suprised at the name, nothing shows. He's far too professional for that.

'A pleasure to meet you, ma'am. Is there anything you require?'

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Not this time. He turns ninety degrees on the spot as she stands so he's facing her side, throwing a hard elbow round at her face and aiming to kick the back of her knee out at the same time. He's also aware that she could drop and go for his legs so he's ready to move, trying to think ahead and stay one step in front.

She blocks the elbow but takes the kick, letting her knee give as she drops to the ground.

Using that leg and her free hand to brace herself, she kicks up and out with her other leg, heel striking for Bruce's upper thigh.

Purely defensive moves are just going to have to wait for later.

He's not still standing though - as she drops he goes with her, arm snaking around her throat and using his weight to try and stop her either pushing back up or throwing him over her shoulder. His other arm is trying to provide the necessary lock to turn it into a decent strangle hold; he wishes he could switch off the part of him that figures she'll already have a way out of this.

For some reason, he's having a little trouble focusing but it might be due to this being the first time he's had a full-on fight with a girl.

Maybe.

X turns her head to get her windpipe into the crook of Bruce's elbow, buying herself an extra second or two of consciousness.

Then she reaches for his encircling arm, grabbing his wrist in both hands and yanking down. In the same moment she lets her body drop as well, trying to use the momentum to twist free and out of the headlock.

If it works she'll try to keep her grip on his arm and twist it up behind his back.

If not --

Well. If not, there's always the claws.

It does work. Partly because he doesn't actually want to strangle her but also because she's damn strong and she yanks hard. He was expecting it but it still surprises him, the strength of her grip and the speed at which he's half pulled over her shoulder and off to the side.

He rolls to his feet and immediately launches a kick to her head, swift and sharp, already thinking a few moves ahead but also half resigned to none of them working.

She blocks that kick, whirling to retaliate with a spinning back kick of her own.

There is no smile on her face, because she has never been that kind of fighter. But she's starting to push faster, harder --

Because he can take it.

And because she is really and truly not built for defense. Practice or not, it shows.

The harder she pushes, the more he's able to focus, pushing everything away but the adrenaline that comes from a fight, no matter who it's with.

The spinning kick is blocked and he grabs her ankle, pushing it against its trajectory in an effort to get her off-balance so he can make an opening to strike.

He's trained as much in defence as attack. He's only human but he is good.

She goes with the push, taking the opportunity to drop her hands to the floor again and kick back at him with her free foot. Twisting her body at the same time in order to wrest her foot out of his grasp is just a bonus.

Not that she thinks about it like that, especially not in the middle of combat.

But it is --

Good, to take the measure of someone new, someone good. Someone who is not at all afraid of her -- or of hurting her.

She could keep this up all day. But out of deference to Bruce's human constitution -- and the possibility of caving -- she won't.

He's in excellent shape and he's enjoying himself. But yes, eventually, he starts to tire and she's given him more than a few bruises. He's grinning when he looks up from the tatami and pushes his hair out of his eyes.

'OK, time out. Time out.'

Not that he's admitting defeat.

But only because that was self-evident since about a minute into the session.

'I need a drink.'

She breaks off immediately, taking a half-step back.

After a momentary silence, during which she studies him very intently --

"Something with electrolytes."

Beat.

"For me, too."

It is only sensible.

'Sure thing.'

He stands and wanders over to something on the wall that looks like an intercom. Because that is what it is, only a high-tech sort of thing. And asks for some drinks to be brought down.

He should really put a fridge in here but hasn't got around to it.

'At some point, you're going to have to teach me how to beat you.'

He may also be wondering about that studied look she just gave him. Bad thing or good thing? With X, it's hard to tell.

X tilts her head very slightly, then steps off the mat to meet him.

She is still barefoot.

"That would be stupid."

It comes out matter-of-fact.

And maybe it's just a trick of the light that makes the corner of her mouth look like it curves up in a smile --

"But I will teach you to hold me off for longer. And other people, too."

-- or maybe it's got nothing to do with the light at all.

He laughs and has to concede that she's right.

Also? It's nice to see her smile.

'Well, hopefully you're not about to become a criminal in Gotham so being able to beat you wouldn't be a problem.'

Drinks arrive and he hands her a bottle before cracking open his own.

'But I see your point. And I'd appreciate whatever you can teach me.'

"Not just in Gotham."

She takes the offered bottle, opens it, and drinks -- just a small mouthful at first.

"I am a better teacher than I was. Before. I do not think it will be difficult."

Bruce is also probably a better student than a pre-teen or a seven-year-old.

X swallows another mouthful of water, flicking Bruce a glance to make sure he is drinking, as well --

Then crouches down to put her boots back on.

He is, indeed, drinking.

'No, not just in Gotham.'

And watching her too.

'Who was your first student?'

X hesitates at the question, fingers stilling on her laces.

And a moment later --

"Ingress. In Milliways."

Beat.

"I do not think my teammates count. At home."

Then she goes back to tying her boots.

"Why?"

'I don't know Ingress but I know I'll never get in a fight with her now.'

Her question is both amusing and a touch confusing.

'I was just curious. I want to know more about you.'

That's what dates are for, right?

'But if you don't want to talk about it, that's OK.'

"She is small," X says, hesitating for a second before clarifying. "Young. But she has a sword."

And this, of course, is where X looks faintly startled.

"Oh."

Beat.

"I do not mind."

She stands up, then, head tilting as she studies Bruce.

"But I do not know what questions are relevant. For you."

That is always the difficult part.

He laughs, just a little.

'Well, they all are aren't they? Or I wouldn't ask them.'

"Maybe," she says, very seriously.

Then she falls silent again, considering.

And after a moment --

"You do not teach?"

He shakes his head, grabbing a towel to rub moisture off his forehead.

'No. I've never really thought about it. I figure I'm still learning myself.'

Seven years of the sort of training he's done means he'd be ideally qualified. And he knows he's good (at least by regular human standards) but taking a student has never occured to him.

'And I wouldn't encourage anyone to...' he breaks off, unsure how to word it.

'I don't know. It's a personal thing, why I started this.'

Sharing it with a novice wouldn't seem right.

X herself is barely perspiring, breath coming slow and even.

She is still watching Bruce.

"I am allowed to ask?"

It is better not to guess.

His eyes flick up to her, a touch surprised. He'd zoned out for just a couple of seconds there, thinking about...well, all of it.

'You can ask whatever you like.'

"Okay."

She still sounds a little uncertain, but maybe that will pass.

"Why did you start? This."

He half-smiles, a resigned sort of gesture because he could have guessed that was coming. But it's OK and he gestures for her to sit, if she'd like. He himself slides down the wall and puts the soles of his feet together, stretching out his quads as he thinks of what to say.

He wants to trust her with this. He thinks she might understand, to a degree.

'You remember when we first met in the bar? I had a gun and told you I was going to kill someone.'

He's glad he didn't. Glad, and still wishes he had. Sometimes.

'His name was Joe Chill. When I was eight years old...'

He blinks, his head jerks and for a second, he's there again, in that alley.

'...we'd been to an opera. I'd got scared and asked my dad if we could go. So we left and Chill...'

He blinks again and looks up at her, back in the room again.

'...he shot them. Robbed them and shot them. And...they died. Right there.'

He swallows and tries to lighten up. But he's still angry. And still guilty. He can't help it.

'The day we met, they let him out of prison. He agreed to give information about a crime boss in the city and they let him go. Someone else killed him before I could and when I went to see that crime boss, he pointed out to me that I knew nothing about the underworld. I knew nothing about crime, or defending people or why criminals did what they did.'

He's suddenly very aware that he's talking a lot and possibly not answering her question. Also aware that this is a date and he shouldn't lay it on so thick.

'So I decided to learn and went away for seven years.'

Simple, right?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject