Lil and Toph; Backdated to May 22nd
May. 22nd, 2013 03:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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om_mainA few days after Laura and River go missing, and following a fight with Scott, Lil and Toph cross paths in the gym. It goes about as well as can be expected.
Backdated to May 22nd
The gym was quiet save for the sound of her fists landing against the leather of the modified heavy bag. Just the way Lil liked it. She needed the time and the space to get her head back on right what with all that had happened. The girls disappearing. Fighting with Scott. Everything was making her cloudy, fuzzier than usual and well, hitting things always made the giantess feel better.
Jab. Jab. Jab. Cross. Hook. Hook. Uppercut. Uppercut.
Lil repeated the pattern over and over, falling into the pattern like it was a soothing lullaby.
It was late enough that the gym should have been empty, but Toph could hear someone banging around in there from a mile away. Actually, it was only the sounds that kept her heading in that direction anyway, up until she was close enough to tell what was going on inside. It had sure sounded like someone like someone going at a heavy bag, but it was nice to have that confirmed.
Toph paused for a moment in the doorway, following the other girl's movements with interest. It wasn't quite like Laura or anything, but the girl was pretty good.
Not that it stopped her from calling out, "your left's pretty weak, you know."
Lil faltered in her rhythm and spun, started out of her near-trance like state by the other voice. "Um. Okay..." she replied, raising an eyebrow at the shorter mutant. She'd never had any real training; only a lesson here or there from someone in the gym back home or a boy interested in fulfilling his Xena fantasy so no one had ever made mention of that particular issue. "I'll be sure to do more weights or something with it."
"Not like that," Toph said impatiently as she padded forward. "You're not getting enough momentum on your life side." She paused for a moment. "Probably wouldn't hurt, though."
The taller girl's eyes narrowed slightly. "More momentum. More speed, you mean?" she asked, not entirely sure what Toph was talking about. Physics was not her strong point.
"No, like..." she let out a breath, trying to figure out how to explain it. Finally Toph twisted a little, trying to illustrate the point. "You're not turning enough to be able to hit as hard."
Lil scowled slightly, her nose wrinkling before she attempted to do as she'd been instructed. She twisted a littler harder, a bit faster with the next punch then waited for Toph's assessment of it.
"Better," Toph nodded approvingly, and made her way over to where she was assuming the bag hung, given where the other girl was hitting.
"Like this," she said, and instinctively dropped right into a low stance before hitting the bag with her left hand hard enough to rock it back a little.
"You realize it's gonna be hell on my knees to get that low, right?" Lil snarked, reaching out to steady the bag. Given the girl didn't have super strength - or at least, not that Lil had heard - it was pretty damn impressive she was able to make the bag designed to survive the big hitters swing.
"So don't," Toph snorted, brushing her bangs out of her face. "Lower you get, easier it is to hit harder, though."
"Six foot four ain't meant to get low," she murmured back but tried it anyway, tucking herself into a tighter, smaller stance before starting to swing again.
"Low for you," Top said in the kind of voice that meant she'd probably have been rolling her eyes. "It's better that way, see? You get more room to move."
"Yeah, yeah," Lil agreed with a nod. "Where'd you learn to fight?"
"Back home." It was said almost absently as Toph reached out to find the bag again. "It was the only cool thing I got to do, and that was because I snuck out."
"Wait, you snuck out to learn to fight?" That was... odd. Most kids snuck out to cause fights or party.
"Well yeah," Toph said easily. "They weren't gonna let me, otherwise."
The taller girl still didn't understand but Lil didn't feel like pushing the subject. "Um. Okay. So, I guess you like it here since you can do that without being all sneaky?"
"Definitely," she said instantly, and with feeling. "I mean, I would have snuck out anyway, but this is way better. I mean, no one else does my style, but that's okay. What about you?" Toph asked finally, turning in Lil's direction. "Where'd you learn?"
"At an anger management kinda thing. I got in too many fights so they made me go to the gym and learn how to hit to blow off some steam. I ended up breaking a lotta heavy bags," Lil admitted. "Regular ones ain't built for Bricks like me who can hit harder than most usual people."
"Oh hey. Is that your power?" Toph asked curiously, sounding way too pleased with the idea. "Hitting hard? That's pretty cool."
"Not quite. It's kinda hard to explain. I got this forcefield thingy around my skin cells that keeps all kindsa shit out but because of physics or something, when I punch, I don't absorb the force so instead, it goes into the punch." Or at least, that's how it had been explained to her.
"Oh," Toph said with the tone of voice that said she'd understood exactly none of that. "Still cool," she declared a moment later. Hey, if it worked, it worked.
"I guess," the giantess said with a shrug. "Kinda blows when I'm trying to do things that don't involve punching and stuff. I tend to break a lotta stuff on accident. But I guess most people's powers got downsides."
Toph considered that for a moment or so. "You can't turn it off or anything?"
Lil shook her head. "Nope. No way to turn it off. At least, not that I've found yet but I really don't think there is one."
"Weird. Guess you just have to hold things lighter, then," Toph said with a nod, as if it was just that easy.
"Mmhmm," the taller girl agreed. "And I gotta practice doing that." With the horses, but she didn't feel like going into all that explanation. " And actively remember not to like, shake someone's hand the way I would otherwise. And hitting other people is a big fat no unless they take a swing at me first."
"Shouldn't hit people anyway, if they can't fight back," Toph said, almost offhandedly.
"That's harder than it sounds," Lil snorted, trying not think about Lydia. Or Damon. Or even Scott when he pissed her off - kinda like now. "But I ain't really hit anyone yet, so..."
"Whatever," she huffed. "What are you practicing for, then?"
"For when I'm needed," the taller girl said after a few more punches on the bag before letting her arms relax. "I get in shape now, proper shape and all, and get good control of my powers and I'm hoping I'll be able to help out with any kinda shit that goes down in the future. Bullet proof, fireproof, can break guns with my hands..." She shrugged and let out a slow, long breath. "Figure it's better to be prepared."
"I guess." It seemed like kind of a weird reason to Toph, but she wasn't going to argue the point. Not right then, anyway.
Lil puffed out another soft breath. "It's not like there's much else for me to do."
"So find something else," Toph shrugged. "You can do anything here, there's got to be something."
"Kinda hard when you ain't good at anything bit hitting, swearing, and drinking." Especially when your boyfriend was busy. "I ride the horses sometimes but that ain't an all day, everyday kinda thing. And, well, eat. A lot."
"So what? I'm good at hitting things and I still find other stuff to do," Toph declared. Mostly the hitting things, but she at least enjoyed it. "I think you're just not trying hard enough."
"Or I just ain't good at anything else," Lil replied, trying to keep the annoyed heat from her voice. "Either way, I think I'm done here."
"Whatever," Toph returned with a snort and knocked lightly against the bag again, like she was trying to remind herself where it was. "You keep doing it wrong, don't come complaining to me."
Lil scowled at the other girl, her lips tight and jaw set. "Yeah, I don't think you're gonna have to worry about that," the older girl snorted and then started off toward the locker room.
Backdated to May 22nd
The gym was quiet save for the sound of her fists landing against the leather of the modified heavy bag. Just the way Lil liked it. She needed the time and the space to get her head back on right what with all that had happened. The girls disappearing. Fighting with Scott. Everything was making her cloudy, fuzzier than usual and well, hitting things always made the giantess feel better.
Jab. Jab. Jab. Cross. Hook. Hook. Uppercut. Uppercut.
Lil repeated the pattern over and over, falling into the pattern like it was a soothing lullaby.
It was late enough that the gym should have been empty, but Toph could hear someone banging around in there from a mile away. Actually, it was only the sounds that kept her heading in that direction anyway, up until she was close enough to tell what was going on inside. It had sure sounded like someone like someone going at a heavy bag, but it was nice to have that confirmed.
Toph paused for a moment in the doorway, following the other girl's movements with interest. It wasn't quite like Laura or anything, but the girl was pretty good.
Not that it stopped her from calling out, "your left's pretty weak, you know."
Lil faltered in her rhythm and spun, started out of her near-trance like state by the other voice. "Um. Okay..." she replied, raising an eyebrow at the shorter mutant. She'd never had any real training; only a lesson here or there from someone in the gym back home or a boy interested in fulfilling his Xena fantasy so no one had ever made mention of that particular issue. "I'll be sure to do more weights or something with it."
"Not like that," Toph said impatiently as she padded forward. "You're not getting enough momentum on your life side." She paused for a moment. "Probably wouldn't hurt, though."
The taller girl's eyes narrowed slightly. "More momentum. More speed, you mean?" she asked, not entirely sure what Toph was talking about. Physics was not her strong point.
"No, like..." she let out a breath, trying to figure out how to explain it. Finally Toph twisted a little, trying to illustrate the point. "You're not turning enough to be able to hit as hard."
Lil scowled slightly, her nose wrinkling before she attempted to do as she'd been instructed. She twisted a littler harder, a bit faster with the next punch then waited for Toph's assessment of it.
"Better," Toph nodded approvingly, and made her way over to where she was assuming the bag hung, given where the other girl was hitting.
"Like this," she said, and instinctively dropped right into a low stance before hitting the bag with her left hand hard enough to rock it back a little.
"You realize it's gonna be hell on my knees to get that low, right?" Lil snarked, reaching out to steady the bag. Given the girl didn't have super strength - or at least, not that Lil had heard - it was pretty damn impressive she was able to make the bag designed to survive the big hitters swing.
"So don't," Toph snorted, brushing her bangs out of her face. "Lower you get, easier it is to hit harder, though."
"Six foot four ain't meant to get low," she murmured back but tried it anyway, tucking herself into a tighter, smaller stance before starting to swing again.
"Low for you," Top said in the kind of voice that meant she'd probably have been rolling her eyes. "It's better that way, see? You get more room to move."
"Yeah, yeah," Lil agreed with a nod. "Where'd you learn to fight?"
"Back home." It was said almost absently as Toph reached out to find the bag again. "It was the only cool thing I got to do, and that was because I snuck out."
"Wait, you snuck out to learn to fight?" That was... odd. Most kids snuck out to cause fights or party.
"Well yeah," Toph said easily. "They weren't gonna let me, otherwise."
The taller girl still didn't understand but Lil didn't feel like pushing the subject. "Um. Okay. So, I guess you like it here since you can do that without being all sneaky?"
"Definitely," she said instantly, and with feeling. "I mean, I would have snuck out anyway, but this is way better. I mean, no one else does my style, but that's okay. What about you?" Toph asked finally, turning in Lil's direction. "Where'd you learn?"
"At an anger management kinda thing. I got in too many fights so they made me go to the gym and learn how to hit to blow off some steam. I ended up breaking a lotta heavy bags," Lil admitted. "Regular ones ain't built for Bricks like me who can hit harder than most usual people."
"Oh hey. Is that your power?" Toph asked curiously, sounding way too pleased with the idea. "Hitting hard? That's pretty cool."
"Not quite. It's kinda hard to explain. I got this forcefield thingy around my skin cells that keeps all kindsa shit out but because of physics or something, when I punch, I don't absorb the force so instead, it goes into the punch." Or at least, that's how it had been explained to her.
"Oh," Toph said with the tone of voice that said she'd understood exactly none of that. "Still cool," she declared a moment later. Hey, if it worked, it worked.
"I guess," the giantess said with a shrug. "Kinda blows when I'm trying to do things that don't involve punching and stuff. I tend to break a lotta stuff on accident. But I guess most people's powers got downsides."
Toph considered that for a moment or so. "You can't turn it off or anything?"
Lil shook her head. "Nope. No way to turn it off. At least, not that I've found yet but I really don't think there is one."
"Weird. Guess you just have to hold things lighter, then," Toph said with a nod, as if it was just that easy.
"Mmhmm," the taller girl agreed. "And I gotta practice doing that." With the horses, but she didn't feel like going into all that explanation. " And actively remember not to like, shake someone's hand the way I would otherwise. And hitting other people is a big fat no unless they take a swing at me first."
"Shouldn't hit people anyway, if they can't fight back," Toph said, almost offhandedly.
"That's harder than it sounds," Lil snorted, trying not think about Lydia. Or Damon. Or even Scott when he pissed her off - kinda like now. "But I ain't really hit anyone yet, so..."
"Whatever," she huffed. "What are you practicing for, then?"
"For when I'm needed," the taller girl said after a few more punches on the bag before letting her arms relax. "I get in shape now, proper shape and all, and get good control of my powers and I'm hoping I'll be able to help out with any kinda shit that goes down in the future. Bullet proof, fireproof, can break guns with my hands..." She shrugged and let out a slow, long breath. "Figure it's better to be prepared."
"I guess." It seemed like kind of a weird reason to Toph, but she wasn't going to argue the point. Not right then, anyway.
Lil puffed out another soft breath. "It's not like there's much else for me to do."
"So find something else," Toph shrugged. "You can do anything here, there's got to be something."
"Kinda hard when you ain't good at anything bit hitting, swearing, and drinking." Especially when your boyfriend was busy. "I ride the horses sometimes but that ain't an all day, everyday kinda thing. And, well, eat. A lot."
"So what? I'm good at hitting things and I still find other stuff to do," Toph declared. Mostly the hitting things, but she at least enjoyed it. "I think you're just not trying hard enough."
"Or I just ain't good at anything else," Lil replied, trying to keep the annoyed heat from her voice. "Either way, I think I'm done here."
"Whatever," Toph returned with a snort and knocked lightly against the bag again, like she was trying to remind herself where it was. "You keep doing it wrong, don't come complaining to me."
Lil scowled at the other girl, her lips tight and jaw set. "Yeah, I don't think you're gonna have to worry about that," the older girl snorted and then started off toward the locker room.
