trans_9 | Punching Bag Fun (Open)

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Punching Bag Fun (Open)

For the first couple of minutes that Jo was in the Sensoriums the scene before her kept flickering between that of a shooting range and that of a boxing gym. Finally it seemed as though it was decided that Jo needed a place like the gym and poof! There it was.

She hadn't been inside one of the Sensoriums for a while - mainly due to Security duty stuff - but seeing as she'd quit. she had way more time on her hands than she truly needed. The Sensoriums offered her a place to take her anger out. It was either here or taking it out on ~~Leon~~ some random crew member and risk getting beat up by tentacle of pain. So beating up something in the Sensoriums sounded like a much better idea.

Stepping inside, Jo headed straight over to one of the benches - which had a oh so convenient roll of tape sitting on it - and sat down. She took a deep breath, picked up the tape and began wrapping her knuckles. She knew she wouldn't actually be hurt, but while she was inside, she'd think there was pain... But maybe the pain would distract her from her anger... Then again, she was kinda liking the anger at the moment.

Rising to her feet, she rotated her neck, popping the bones in her neck and moved over to one of the punching bags. Positioning herself in a fighting stance, she glared at the punching bag and began jabbing at it.

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Sparhawk nods. "Our cultures are different, that is my reasoning. My training as Knight of the Church leads me to believe that women should be protected, although since boarding this vessel, I have tried to curb this instinct so as not to insult those I must work with."

He stares at her.

"My interference was as the Preceptor of the Pandion Order, and Prince Consort, a man with more experience in combat and leadership than many. The injured do not belong on the battlefield, unless there is no other choice. Your injury made you unfit for combat, and one of those we faced could have used your wound against you should you have entered the fray."

He steps closer to Jo now.

"You may have survived, but you were weakened, and could have become a liability to your team. I sought to remove you from the battle for your own safety, and the safety of others. Had a medic tended to you, I would not have stood in the way of your convictions."

This is probably the longest speech that he has made to anyone on Stacey yet. It's something that has been eating at him since the fight, and Jo, you're the lucky one that gets the full brunt of it.

"If your Army is similar to the armies of my world, this should have been obvious to you. Your judgment was impaired by the threat to the crew, and by the duties that had been given to you. I am sure that Sir Leon would not have begrudged you time to at least have your wound tended before entering the fray again. If he had, then he would be no fit commander. as to your weapons, why not leave them behind? They could have been recovered from the battlefield, as you could not. What am I 'not getting' about that."

He does his best to use Jo's intonation as he throws her own words back at her.

JO's lips press together and she glares at Sparhawk. She's not so much glaring at him because she's mad at him, more so because she's mad he kinda has a point.

Which sucks.

Seriously.

She frowns and looks away, her hands still on her hips. "Alright, so maybe I should have been smart enough to get off the field on my own," she admits - almost pouting as she does so. "BUT, dude, you just can't go hauling the women on this ship off the battlefield.... Unless they're really dying or something." OK, see? She added the something in there.

"And...I'm ~~kinds~~ sorry that I kicked up in the nuts. It wasn't cool."

Sparhawk just looks back at Jo. He deliberately keeps his face blank. If she is anything like Ehlana, she won't be too happy that Sparhawk has outmaneuvered her in this war of words.

And as she speaks, Sparhawk's suspicions are confirmed. "I am glad that you can see my point, Lady Jo," and see, you've got his respect again. "And I understand that I was out of line in being so forceful. I will try not to repeat the situation if it should happen again."

He offers her a bow as she apologises. "Certainly 'not cool'," he repeats. "Effective, but uncalled for."

"OK, first off, please drop the Lady stuff. Jo's just fine." It was a little too weird for her. She knew it was his culture and stuff, but still. No.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I guess, but you weren't in my position now were you?" She grinned, hopefully letting him know she wasn't completely serious.

"Jo," Sparhawk repeats. "While it feels to be lacking in respect to address you so informally given that we barely know each other, if such is your request..."

He lets his sentence trail off, giving Jo and opportunity to confirm or deny.

"Jo, by my reckoning, there are none aboard this ship who would be able to carry me like a sack of potatoes, was it?" There is the faintest hint of a grin back. "Except perhaps the Master Chief, should he be so inclined."

"Jo really works for me," she inisists. Seriously though... The thought of being called Lady Jo was a little disturbing.

Her brow arched and she laughed. "OK, I'll give you that, but I'm pretty sure I could knock you down and you wouldn't be getting up for a while."

"Jo," Sparhawk confirms, trying to tell himself that it wasn't weird. He's glad that he can make her laugh though.

"I do not mean to sound disbelieving of your claim, not so soon after regaining friendly terms, but what would lead you to believe you could do that?" He is honestly curious. If she can take down a Knight such as him, she must be a formidable warrior.

"Because I've done it before... Well back home, but I'm sure I could do it here if I needed to." She reached across, grabbed her elbow and pulled her arm back across her chest - keeping her muscles limber.

She eyed him silently for a moment. "Might not be able to haul you around but I could take you down." She proclaims.

Sparhawk is being rather careful here. He remembers well how Mirtai, the Atan warrior, mopped the floor with his closest friend, Kalten. Sparhawk has no wish to repeat the experience here.

"Would you consider it rude of me to ask for you to prove your words? While I well believe you are extremely capable, a demonstration might suffice to quell the nagging voice in the back of my head. "

He thinks he's phrased this diplomatically enough. He also hopes that Jo doesn't take advantage of his offer to take out some of her frustrations.

"No it wouldn't be rude... But you sure you want to? It could be a little embarrassing." Hey, she's figured if he wants a demonstration, he's also volunteered to be part of it... So she's giving him a chance to back out.

Sparhawk chuckles. "Jo, I've been embarrassed before, and I'm sure that I will be again. Show me."

He tries to remember the way that Mirtai stands, and the way that the Lady Kate was showing him. No need to make it too easy for Jo.

Jo's eyebrow both arch in amusement and she takes a few steps toward Sparhawk, her hands still resting on her hips. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you," she tells him.

She might might be small, Sparhawk, but Jo's feisty and being in the army helped too.

She suddenly reached out, grabbed him by his forearms and then BAM!! She's flipped him over and he's laid out flat on his stomach.

Jo then squats down and tilts her head a bit to the side so Sparhawk is able to see her better, "Want more?"

Sparhawk was expecting something. After all, he had been there when his wife's bodyguard had dumped his best friend flat on his back. But expecting something and actually having it happen to you, are completely different things.

"Oof," is about the only thing that the older knight can come out with as he lands on his stomach. The plantsuit squishes unpleasantly against him, and he's fairly sure that he's going to have a bruise where the hilt of his broadsword is jammed into his ribs.

"I think you've made your point," he replies dryly to Jo. "I will be careful not to ask for any more demonstrations."

"I did warn you," Jo pointed out as she pushed herself up but then leaned over a little bit to offer Sparhawk a hand to help him up.

"I did grow up with three older brothers, so I had to learn to hold my own at a really young age," she confides.

"Yes, you did," Sparhawk accepts the offered hand, strangely feeling a bit happier about the whole situation.

"Three brothers? And did they often give you reasons to have to hold your own?" Sparhawk asks. "Our own training is woefully lacking in hand to hand drills. Vanion more or less told me to fix that when we returned to Demos. That was before this detour."

"Nothing major, just picked on me a lot. But with older brothers, it's always smart to be able to hold your own. Never knew when it would come in handy," Jo shrugged.

"Well I guess I could help you out in that department if you'd like," Jo offers.

"I can understand that," Sparhawk almost smiles, and taps his nose. "Kalten broke this when we were both young and playing. He keeps telling me I should thank him for giving me such a distinctive look."

Notice the lack of formality, Jo. You've been upgraded to fellow warrior.

"I would be happy to be taught. Lady Kate has shown me some techniques, but I have been more concerned with learning to fire a gun, and hit what I'm wanting to."

"It won't be easy... You'll spend a lot of time on your backside," Jo warns, but is smiling because it actually sounds like fun. Well as much fun as one could have on the ship anyway.

"But really, hand to hand can be really important," And this is coming from Jo - lover of guns. "It's a lot easier to knock someone down in close range than it is to pull a gun sometimes."

"Training with the lance results in something similar," Sparhawk tells her, straight-faced. "And while I haven't been unhorsed in a number of years, I'm sure that it'll come back to me."

And Jo may have a slightly warped idea of fun.

"Normally I would rely on my sword for close range. I am finally starting to realise how limited I am."

"Don't think that way," Jo frowned. "Just think of it as... You need to expand your knowledge of fighting. That sounds a lot better."

Sparhawk is highly amused by that. "I know my limits, Jo. It's working out how to overcome them myself, or using the skills of my friends to watch my back. Besides, one of the virtues we are expected to cultivate as Knights is modesty."

He considers. "Here, my overconfidence might get my team killed. That will not happen."

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Punching Bag Fun (Open)

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