I don't know what you're going to do, but I have work to do.

[hit_girl_mindy]

People dealt with things in different ways. In Mindy's case, she had continued severing people in the cafe. The hours were rough, her sleep patterns shifted, and she had told herself to take it easy after the ejecting from the Sensoriums by Overlord Zetta. Much like a bartender though, working in the kitchens meant hearing people's conversations, and that led to the topic most people were talking about: the Daligig, the former crew and the inevitable fight for the ship. This wasn't just gossip: it was legit information, and while she could skim over Howard's really long summary, it was Allenby's that hit home. Sure, she had that dumb phobia about tech that was irritating, but she was truthful.

And that meant training time had to happen. NOW.

She didn't waste any time either. Quick to the Sensoriums, Hit Girl costume on and the simulation began ten minutes after intense push ups, stretching and a little running.

She learned something in the past few weeks: the only way to really train yourself was to push, and that push had to keep going and going and make you better. So now she was back again against the Daleks, testing her ability to dodge and run and make things fall on them. Then came that duel with Aqua, where she got much, MUCH better with a blade. Then she was back to attacking SAINTS and the hark robots, making sure there were twice as many.

But the grand finale? Shadow Zetta, unstoppable, merciless, and constantly coming at her. Even in the aftermath of broken robots and a beaten Aqua, she couldn't come close to landing a hit on shadow Zetta that mattered. Yet here she was, going at it again and again, and somehow, the audience were smug looking members of the Daligig, looking like Ceasars at a lion feeding.

Comments

[morganknight]

"You're trying way, way, way too hard," Morgan noted matter-of-factly from near the entrance.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Hit girl stopped what she was doing. While anyone else would have gotten a rather sharp reply, Morgan was someone she respected, and at least wanted to know what she was thinking.

"You think so?" She said, pausing Shadow Zetta in his tracks. "How do you figure?"

[morganknight]

"You're focusing too much on raw physical ability right there, at a level you shouldn't be trying to reach. It's like trying to lift a thousand pounds without working up to it in easy increments. And speaking more generally, you're focusing entirely too narrowly. All edge, no sword, you know?"

He tipped his neck left, then right, to work out the tension, then rolled his shoulders.

"Forget this simulation. You want to learn something, I'll show you something." He lifted a hand, beckoning her on. "This is a lesson in balance and harmony, and I'll conduct it without words. Land a hit, of any sort."

[hit_girl_mindy]

"I know, I'm just trying to learn something from memory," Hit Girl said lamely. Sure, she knew fighting even a shadow Zetta was fruitless. "But I feel like the more I do this, the more I can learn how to bring out secret powers of my own in tense situations. But maybe I need to try a new approach."

The simulation changed, and now they were in a simple wooden hut. Hit girl shrugged, flexed a little, and came at Morgan with her bow at the ready.

[morganknight]

She'd learn, he expected. She wasn't stupid.

On the other hand, he had no intention of making an aggressive move. He'd observed her focusing entirely on defense -- no other real way when facing a foe that superior -- so he intended to make a point about defense. He simply spread his legs slightly, lifting his hands up to waist-height, palms upturned, hands open.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Hit Girl stopped, pausing a moment. What the heck was he doing? Out of any move he could have chosen, this was not what she expected. In any case, she crouched low at the last moment, aiming upward with the bow.

[morganknight]

Well, that wasn't going to work. He casually turned a hand over and intercepted the staff with the palm of his hand. No other motion; none was necessary. He might as well have been a statue.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Oh, Hit girl wasn't down yet! The bow was just a way for her to get closer and attempt to land some decent mid ranged hits, using a burst of her inhuma speed to land something home.

[morganknight]

He wouldn't claim to be inhuman in any respect, certainly not in speed. Quick, certainly, but in no way reaching even the peak of human ability in agility. Still, he didn't need to; in this case, skill and experience served him just as well. Morgan still didn't move except for his arms, which flowed like water and mercury, swift to intercept blows, redirect them just slightly wide with a gentle touch to the inner arm, or foul her body off itself with a casual shift of force.

He'd promised to teach her without words, and he was sticking to that.

[ruffntumblenut]

Ruffnut had finally figured out why she liked wandering in on random Sensoriums so much. It was a little dangerous, like that game Mindy had taught her about, Russian Roulette.

As it stood though it looked like the blond Viking girl had come out on top because there was her favorite person in the world locked in combat with what looked like...an evil version of Zetta.

"Wait, I thought Zetta was supposed to be evil already." Tuffnut asked wandering up behind Ruffnut once again popping out of her imagination in the Sensorium. Ruff shrugged and for good nature popped him in the face knocking him off his feet.

She stretched and sighed, arms above her head and back arching. Surrounded by all these aliens she wanted to unwind and that meant indulging in one of her fantasies. Flames burst around her and licked up her body turning her skin red. Horns bursting through her forehead, a long snake of a tail curling out behind her.

Claws and fangs, and so many muscles.

Tuffnut just rolled his eyes on the ground. "Show off."

With a smug smirk she sprang into the crowd and began scattering aliens like they were flowers in a field. Each strike sent handfuls of them spinning and bouncing. Her sudden appearance was causing chaos to erupt in the stadium.

Because she knew Hit Girl, and Hit Girl THRIVED in chaos.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Hit Girl's ears twitched, and she turned, seeing who her new opponent was. When she saw this new challenger, she grinned, deciding to treat them like an opponent. Oh, this was no random fantasy of hers: far too intricate details were given to this person, and she weilded her bow with purpose.

"Care for some one on one, demon girl?"

[ruffntumblenut]

Ruffnut stopped in the middle of pummeling the crowd. "Huh? Oh I didn't want to interrupt. You seemed busy." She pointed a claw at the dark Zetta while choaking out an alien in her other hand.The cocky smile was entirely too familiar to Mindy though. It was the playful smirk that Ruffnut used when she meant "Come and get me."

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Never too busy for a real opponent," she said, grinning. A part of her new it was Ruffnut, but wasn't it more fun NOT acting like she knew, and going at her like she would some real challenger? She thought so, and the Sensorium changed to an open arena, with vikings and drunkards and demons alike.

She dropped the bow and gave a rush toward the demon, changing directed at the last second and landing a sharp kick to the neck.

[ruffntumblenut]

The demon was too amused to avoid the first strike and stumbled away with a powerful but wildly thrown backhand to put some distance between them. Her tail lashed about and she coughed and then laughed feeling her fantasy given strength surging through her. With a flick of her wrist fireballs flew after the purple haired hero, the demongirls eyes blazing with excitement.

[hit_girl_mindy]

The backhand did knock Hit Girl, but she made sure to land a kip, going for a flip out of falling, and then making sure her body adjusted to the crash to the floor. She was already starting to calculate where she could go for the weak spots on the demon when the fireballs came, and she met them with Lord Zetta's gun, moving quickly to get a closer hit.

[ruffntumblenut]

Ruffnut was thundering along like a bull elephant before she sprang high into the air and came crashing down towards Mindy in retaliation. Like a boulder from the heavens she crashed into the ground leaving a crater sand even sending out a shock wave from the force of the impact.

As Ruffnut reasoned it, her demonlord form could do al of this and more. Why not enjoy it?

[hit_girl_mindy]

Ah fuck!

She was definitely fast and quicker than most, but a lumbering Rufnut was still powerful, and just barely making it out of the way meant she FLEW pretty high and fell damn hard. She hit the ground hard and gritted her teeth, rising, her barrier jacket already compensating.

The shockwave was a doozy, but it was not HER, who screamed in primal rage and ran toward the demonlord, guns blazing.

[moms_temperment]

“Yoooooooooooooo!” Called a loud, recognizable voice from across the expanse.

There stood Hana, waving his sword above his exploding-sun hairstyle, massive grin cutting across his face. The picture of an obvious target.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Hit girl looked, and grinned when she saw it was one of their partners in crime, Hana. Looked like he wanted to play too: seems like it was going to be a pretty damn full day in the Sensoriums!

She flipped over to him, bow in hand, eyes blazing. "Up to you Hana: we can kick some more butt, or we can go one on one."

[moms_temperment]

Hana laughed loud and clear, shaking his head.

“Ha! Fight you? I don’t think I stand a chance ‘till I find Amidamaru.”

He smirked a little and held his sword out infront of him.

“But if you don’t mind backup I could use some practise?”

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Hey, I'm still learning too. I got my ass kicked by an Overlord recently and I'm still kinda pissed about it. So I'm gonna make sure I get stronger."

Well, that and the Daligig rumors were making her uneasy.

"Who's Amidamaru?"

[moms_temperment]

"Overlord?" He titled his head. "You mean that Zetta guy you and Ruff always talk about?"

Hana made of point of overplaying a massive sigh of expiration. "Dude, I've told you before. My spirit partner?"

[hit_girl_mindy]

Hit Girl nodded. "Yeah, Zetta, the talking evil book. Kicked my ass for interrupting...um, something."

She had no idea if Zetta wanted other people knowing he had a girlfriend. Better to ask then get beat up for it later.

"Oh yeah. Sorry man. Too many battles knock my brain cells loose."

[moms_temperment]

Hit Girl had only pocked at Hana's curiosity now. "Something? What thing? Something bad?"

He tugged her arm. "Come oooooooooon, tell me!"

"It's cool, you're still way smarter than Ruff." He chuckled.

[hit_girl_mindy]

"Nah, not bad, at least, it wasn't bad for him, but for us for being there in the first place. The Overlord likes his privacy and shit sometimes, and we came at the wrong time. He was not happy."

She snickered. "That's not saying much, but that's part of her charm."