fandomhighdorms | Gym, Thursday Afternoon

After a busy morning of visitors, phone calls and class, Veronica had lunch and made her way to the gym for her first self defense lesson with Pip.

"Hey, sorry if I'm late," she apologized as she entered the gym.

Pip shrugged. "No problem. It's not like we're really late getting this thing started."

"How's your arm?" she asked. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Oh yeah. No worries. It's been fine for days now. C'mon, let's get started," Pip said, walking over to the bag.

Veronica followed him. She had dressed in black yoga pants, a pink tank top and a black zip front sweatshirt and her hair was back in pigtails to keep it out of her face.

"Okay, what first?"

"First, make a fist," Pip said. "Make sure to keep your thumb on the outside, between the top and middle knuckles. Any other way and you'll probably end up breaking a finger or two."

"Like this?" she asked, holding up her fist the way he'd instructed.

Pip nodded. "Alright. We're going to start with punches. Now, of course, there a number of different punches. Jabs, straight punches, roundhouse, uppercut, vertical," he said, demonstrating each punch on the bag. "Lot of those you probably won't want to concern yourself with, at least not yet. We're going to start with the basics. Straight punch So, stand like this," Pip said, straddling his legs out and bending them. "Hands next to hips, and punch straight out like this," he continued, demonstrating. "Don't fully extend your arm, that's important. Keep your elbow slightly bent."

Veronica mimicked his stance and threw a punch, forgetting his instruction about keeping her elbow slightly bent.

Pip caught her arm. "Elbows," he said. "Got keep 'em slightly bent and don't extend your arm all the way. If you extend your arm all the way, your arm's rigid. It's a lot easier to trap an arm that's rigid. Lot easier to hurt it too. Plus, you hit something with your arm completley extended, it'll hurt your elbow." He moved her arm into the correct position. "Try again?"

"Okay," she said.

She adjusted her stance and threw another punch, this time correctly.

Pip nodded, grinning. "Good. Other hand?"

Veronica threw a punch with her left hand, she held the stance correctly, but there wasn't as much force behind it.

"Right handed, right?" Pip said. "Alright, keep doing punches. Breathe out quickly as you punch and inhale as you bring your fist back."

Veronica started slowly and was able to follow his instructions. She felt pretty good about how she was doing, so she tried going faster.

Unfortunately, she couldn't quite match her breathing and ended up almost hyperventilating.

Pip's eye widened. "Whoa, slow down. Speed's not important. Technique is. We can work on speed once we're sure that youve got the technique down. Why don't we stop so you can catch your breath? ~~And find a way to ask Pip about Blair and Nadia.~~"

She stopped and took a couple of deep, slow breaths.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away," she said, flushing with embarrassment.

She grabbed her bottle of water and took a long drink.

"So did you go to that Valentine's Day strategy session last night?"

"Don't know what you're talking about. But if I did, I'd have to say that I didn't make it, but I heard that Blair made himself quite the list of suggestions." He squinted slightly. "I should probably talk to him about that."

"Oh, you're friends with him?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," Pip said. "Good guy. Bit naive, but he's cool."

"Naivite won't last long around here," Veronica said sardonically.

"But I was talking to Nadia the other day and when I heard about Blair looking for a date on the radio, I couldn't help but wonder if they might be a good match."

Pip looked up at the ceilng. He grinned, a mischievious twinkle in his eye.

"You know... the more I think about it... the more I like it." He laughed. "Thinking about playing matchmaker?"

"Could be fun," she mused. "Especially if I have a partner in crime."

She grinned.

"All right, I'm good now. Teach me something else?"

Pip grinned. "We must draw our plans into fruition quickly. For now, follow me," Pip said, walking over to the mat.

For now, follow me," Pip said, walking over to the mat.

Veronica followed him with a mischevious grin on her face.

"Alright. We're not going to work on hitting you just yet, but we're going to work on something pretty important if you're going to learn any form of grappling. The breakfall."

"That sounds painful," she said skeptically.

"Well, theoretically the idea is to not cause pain. Breakfall is about learning to fall without hurting yourself. Watch."

Pip fell to the mat, slapping his arms at his sides at the moment of impact. "Try to reduce the fall as much as you can, ya know, bend your knees into it, relax your muscles, and break the fall by slapping the ground."

He leapt to his feet. "Try it."

Veronica tried to follow Pip's instructions, but couldn't resist the urge to try to catch herself instead of just letting herself fall.

She sat on the floor, rubbing her wrist.

"I think I know why they say drunks and babies don't get hurt when they fall."

"Because they don't try to catch themselves? Makes sense. Try it again and don't try to catch yourself. It's one of the times that the human body's natural instinct is very stupid."

Veronica chuckled, but stood up and tried it again. She didn't quite relax all the way, but she didn't really try to catch herself either, so it was a better attempt, if not perfect.

Pip nodded, smiling. "Goood. Keep it up." Pip neglected to mention that once she got it right he'd start tripping her once she got it right.

"You know, I've got Student Council with Blair. Think you could talk to Nadia?"

"Yeah, she's supposed to be stopping by to see me anyway, so I can mention it," she said, standing up and trying to fall one more time.

Third time's a charm and all that, she actually did it right.

Pip reached down to help Veronica up. "One more time, just to be sure you've got it right."

Veronica let him help her up and took a moment to compose herself before attempting the fall again.

Pip nodded. "Excellent." As Veronica got up and looked at, Pip rushed towards her, slipped his leg behind Veronica's, and pushed her back.

There might have been a tiny bit of flailing as Veronica fell, but she did remember in time not to brace herself.

She frowned up at Pip from the floor. "What did you do that for?"

"I do it to everyone," Pip said, reaching a hand out to help Veronica up. "The big trick the breakfall is being able to do it even when suprised. I mean, most potential attackers aren't as nice as me."

She looked at him skeptically, but let him help her up.

"That's true," she said, thinking of her own attacks.

Pip nodded. "What are you thinking about saying to Nadia?"

"I don't know yet," she admitted. "I'll wing it," she added with a grin.

"Usually the best method," Pip said. WIthout warning he rushed at her and tripped her again.

Veronica was so caught off guard that she almost forgot Pip's lesson. At the last minute, she remembered though and fell the way he'd shown her.

"Okay, you need to quit doing that!" she protested from the floor.

Pip grinned and held out a hand to help her up. "Only when you do it right. And, since you did, I will."

She grinned and let him help her up.

"Well that's good to know," she said. "So are we done? I think I've had enough abuse for one day. ~~plus we've been slow playing this for two days, omg!~~"

Pip nodded. "Yeah, I've got one of those finish at the eleventh hour projects to finish. Work on the stuff I taught you if you ever get any free gym time."

She laughed. "Uh, sure, I'll get right on that." She picked up her water bottle and her keys. "So, Tuesday afternoon, same time, same place?"

Gym, Thursday Afternoon

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