Serious Training (For Bluemouse)

Chigusa scoffed. "Hmph, you're afraid of losing to me," she said, turning back around and refusing to look at Taylor anymore. She seriously had bad luck today, considering how she was getting harassed by some loser punk. Chigusa seriously considered just leaving, but before she could make any decision Taylor cut back in on her train of thought.

Taylor's next rant only irked her further. "So you're saying you lost only because you got put against unfair opponents?" Chigusa said, "Ok then, I guess that's a fair complaint. Winning against Sarah Gatt is probably impossible for someone of your talent." She turned back around. Perhaps Taylor would respond a bit to some kindness? Or maybe the girl just needed some matter-of-fact scolding.

"If you're not looking for a fight, then why are you trying to antagonize me?" Chigusa asked, "I don't thing I'm picking on you at all. You started this. And who the heck are you anyways?" Chigusa just realized that she didn't even get Taylor's name yet. "Coming out of nowhere and just insulting me, why are you doing this?"

She actually walked off to the side, to a vending machine, and got two bottles of water. Walking back to the mats, she held one out for Taylor to take. "Here, you said you wanted this?" Chigusa said.

"I... I... uh..." The very last thing in the world that Taylor expected was for Chigusa to actually get her water. "Thanks." She said in a tiny, barely audible voice. She felt pretty stupid. It happened, but she never got used to it.

She tried again. "I-I was, um..." Okay, get it together Taylor. "I'm Taylor. I told you that. I think." She said in a voice much more meek than what she was going for. Damn this girl! First she wounds her with the first words she speaks, then she blindsides her by actually... what was it? Why did a bottle of water derail her so badly?

Well, she was thirsty for one. She fiddled with the cap of the bottle between her fingers. She could feel her face flushing bright red. There was no hiding that. "Shit. Of course, you wouldn't know me." She said, mostly to herself. She paused, then looked back at Chigusa with some of her swagger back.

With a flourish she took a deep, sarcastic bow. "Oh, excuse me, you're probably not used to such shoddy treatment. But sometimes people who get told by everyone else that they're great need to be told otherwise. The truth. That's me, I calls 'em like I see's 'em. Well, princess, I'm sure you'll get over me. After all, you've got it aaallll together. I bet... I bet..." Oh no. "I bet no one ever even tries messing with you. You..." Here it comes, Taylor thought.

The old familiar feeling hit, and tears sprang to Taylor's eyes. She tried to say something or divert attention away from her reddening eyes, but ended up just turning away and scuttling back to the bathroom, absently dropping the bottle of water on the way. It's hard to talk tough when you're crying. Oh, what a day.

It seemed that the act of kindness had the effect Chigusa wanted. It completely destroyed all of Taylor's attitude, messed up the girl's composure entirely. Chigusa figured that the best way to get through to this girl was probably by treating her nicely. And now she finally properly introduced herself as well.

"Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you Taylor," Chigusa said. But by this time Taylor had already recovered a little from that emotional blow.

Chigusa let Taylor rant some more, listening but not really. Instead, she could tell that Taylor was trying her best not to cry. She watched silently as Taylor's eyes teared up, and the girl suddenly spun around and ran away. Chigusa waited for a few moments, before walking over to the bathroom and entering as well. She would walk over to wherever Taylor was, and lean against the wall, being unobtrusive and letting Taylor finish her cry.

Taylor was a basket case. She knew this. It seemed like every day spent in what was for her a very high pressure, high stress environment like the AFW revealed more of her lunacy. Why couldn't she just be like everyone else. Well... maybe that wouldn't be so great here. She was pretty sure most of the other girls her were at least as crazy in their own ways. Still, sometimes Taylor didn't know why she did the things that she did.

But... she had to defend herself, right? Even if no one was attacking her at a given moment, it didn't mean that no one would. She had to make sure she wasn't the one the AFW bullies went after.

And then there was Chigusa, standing against the wall behind Taylor as she stood hunched over the water fountain again. Great. Exactly what she wanted, someone to follow her around and watch her cry. She didn't even know why she was crying. She should just kick her ass right there and move on.

Taylor cupped her hands together and let them fill up with water. She turned and slung the water at Chigusa, soaking her face and her shirt. "Enjoying the show?" She snarled. She shoved her back into the wall with one hand as she passed by her on her way back into the gym. She decided to head for the heavy bags.

Chigusa was just about to speak up once Taylor finished washing her face, but instead she got water splashed all over her face. "W-wha?" Chigusa gasped, quickly trying to rub the water away and clear her eyes. When she saw clearly, Taylor was already walking up to her. She was about to speak again, but then Taylor cut her off, rudely shoving her off to the side.

"What the hell?!" Chigusa said, startled and angry again. Taylor was walking off, but Chigusa wasn't just going to let her leave. She went and grabbed Taylor's shoulder, intending to pull her back and turn her around. "What was that for?" Chigusa said, "I was just trying to be nice!"

"Yeah? Is that what that was?" Taylor was half asking a rhetorical question and half asking herself. "Tell yourself whatever you want, but you don't have to stoop down to my level to prove your better than me. So how 'bout you run off to your own little private gym or whatever it is you guys have. This gym's got enough posers already, we don't need some rich-bitch super-poser around. It makes the more run-of-the-mill posers self conscious." Taylor had lost enough of her composure that just a hint of a New York City accent came through.

"And another thing." Taylor gave Chigusa a much harder shove, with two hands. "Don't touch me." She growled, glaring dangerously at Chigusa before turning to walk away again.

Regardless of the context, Chigusa grabbing her shoulder the way she did set off something inside of Taylor that meant 'fight'. She didn't think about it, she just reacted in a very physical way to it. It seemed like there was nowhere in the world she could go without worrying about getting jumped by someone. But she wasn't going to just let it happen. And in the meantime she'd work out some of her anger on a heavy bag.

"What do you mean "stoop down to my level"?" Chigusa asked, "Do you think I'm doing this because I want to feel superior to you or something? Look, I just want to help! And I don't have a private gym or anything..." She barely noticed the slight change in tone in Taylor's voice, taking it as a sign that she was getting a good reaction. Then she got roughly shoved back. Chigusa was reaching the limits of her patience with this girl now. If she wanted her to go away so badly, then fine. It wasn't like any of this was her fault anyways, Chigusa was just some innocent bystander that got sucked into Taylor's angry scene-making.

"Fine then! Whatever! If you want to be all alone, with everyone avoiding you, then so be it!" Chigusa said, turning around and walking away.

Sighing and shaking her head, Chigusa headed off towards the weights, first to pick up some wrist, ankle, and waist weights and strapping them on. Then she headed over to the mats, and began a series of slow yoga poses. Either way, Taylor didn't have to worry about getting jumped by Chigusa. She had he own training to worry about.

Taylor scowled. She was annoyed beyond belief that her attempts to rile up the girl had succeeded, in a way, but moreover she'd just let herself flip out. That wasn't helping her cause. She really needed to get a hold of herself if she was going to survive anywhere, she couldn't just act like some little kid throwing a temper tantrum. It was ridiculous.

She strapped on a pair of bag gloves and stood in front of a heavy bag hanging off near the side wall. She began angrily drilling combinations into it... jab-cross-body kick... jab-cross-jab-lead front kick...jab-cross-lead hook-lead body kick. She was already starting to break a sweat from a combination of the exertion and her aggravation.

It was so stupid. Why did she even let herself get so wound up in the first place? Why would she care what that wannabe said about her? She didn't even know who she was, of course nothing she said mattered. Screw her. Taylor was gradually calming down as she pounded the bag. Maybe she'd give herself some time and then find a way to make it up to herself... at Chigusa's expense.

After going through her usual mat excercises, Chigusa decided to head over to the heavy bags as well, to practice her striking. She let the heavy training weights fall onto the mats, taking a few moments for a breather. Grabbing the unopened bottle of water, she took a quick drink. She looked over and found Taylor already there, beating up one of the bags with rather wild strikes. Chigusa sighed, perhaps it was her fault, and she was being rude.

Chigusa headed over to the heavy bags, taking one that was a bit far from Taylor's. She began working her strikes as well, focusing on her kicks. Each hit sent the bag swinging around on its supports, showing how strong Chigusa could actually hit. She was more focusing on her training now, ignoring all other people around her.

Taylor watched Chigusa out of the corner of her eye as she approached the heavy bags. Her scowl deepened. She clinched with the bag and started throwing knees into it. Maybe... she just needed to clear the air with this girl. Maybe she could kill a lot of birds with a couple stones, or something, and go clear the air and find out exactly where she stood. That sounded like a good idea, and her scowl gradually slid into a smile.

She took a moment to catch her breath, hands on her hips, and then strolled over to Chigusa's end. She folded her arms over her chest and watched her for a few moments, long enough that she would know she was there. "Hey." She said evenly.

"I want to... I just want to say that I was out of line before. I shouldn't have said those things. I know I have a big mouth and that there are better ways to solve these problems. Ya know... like this." She stepped in and shoved Chigusa as hard as she could. She followed her back and faced her, staring hard at her in a way that meant that she was going to fight whether Chigusa wanted to or not. A crooked, mischievous sneer creased Taylor's face. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.