The Gym - Friday Morning

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

Peter regretted promising Setsuna that he wouldn't use his sword until she received hers from her teachers, but a promise was a promise, so he headed to the gym before his workshop to work with the practice blades.

With the prospect of drilling with his own sword on the horizon, every move of the practice blade seemed unwieldy and less than perfect, but that wasn't enough to spoil his good mood.  He worked through his forms happily, stopping many times to correct a movement or redo a form at a different pace for a change.

Comments

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Since he'd gone and gotten himself recruited for the basketball game tomorrow, Anders decided to take advantage of his workshop-free Friday and hit the gym to take some practice shots and get used to handling the ball. He'd brought his Pyramid ball along, but set it down along the sidelines. It wouldn't do him much good today.

He still felt a little funny handling the basketball, with its odd pebbled texture and unfamiliar way of bouncing, but damned if he was going to look completely out of place on that court tomorrow. So here he was, going through a slow series of basic ball-handling drills he'd looked up on the Internet last night.

"Hey, Peter."

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

Funny enough, Conner was in the gym too. Shagging his own balls SO VERY NOT DIRTY OMG hadn't been too much fun yesterday, so he was taking shots between a pair of orange cones. That lack of a goalie was still kind of annoying, though.

[OOC: Yes. I'm crazy. I know this.]

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

Peter finished his form and nodded. "Morning, Anders. Did you get recruited to the basketball team?"

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"Morning, Conner!" Peter said with a grin. "Have you managed to watch yet?"

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders took a shot just for the sake of taking a shot, and watched it rim in and out of the net. He shook his head. "Looks like I did. So I might as well look at least halfway like I know what I'm doing, huh?"

He went back to snag the ball and dribbled it back out to the half court line. "Nice form, man. Wish I could do that."

[1ordinarygirl.livejournal.com]

Before going into town to check out the bookstore, Buffy decided that she needed to practice some more before tomorrow. So she went down to the gym and began doing jumps and cheers. "Go Gremlins!"

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

"I did! I saw that England-Trinidad game!" Conner replied. "I bet Pippi's happy about the Sweden-Paraguay match, too."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"You're coming to the training session this afternoon, right?" he asked. "At least, I think we have one."

He grinned. "Thanks. You could. It just takes practice like anything else."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"The end of England's game was brilliant though they really didn't play all that well. And I bet she is too. Just ups the stakes for the England/Sweden match on the 20th."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"Morning, Buffy!" Peter said with a grin. "Ready for the game?"

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"That guy Tyler said there was one, yeah." Anders nodded and tried a crossover dribble; he wouldn't have been able to fake anyone out with it in an actual game, but for a beginner in practice it wasn't half bad. "I'll be here for sure. You're playing too, then?"

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

"After that game with Paraguay they were saying something about not being used to playing in the heat," Conner said with a skeptical look. "I don't know . . . shouldn't they have been prepared for that? And I'll have to see if I can join you guys for the England/Sweden match. I have archery that day, but maybe I'll try and swing it. I don't know. Do I really want to make the scary ninja mad?"

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"Tyler would know. And yes, I'm playing as well. I'd prefer football, but Tyler talked me into it." He nodded at Anders' move. "That looks good."

[1ordinarygirl.livejournal.com]

"I think so," Buffy replied smiling. She pointed at him. "You owe me ice cream."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"Plus...it's Germany," Peter said, frowning. "How hot can it get? But Tuesday afternoon, defintely come if you can. I think the match starts at 3? Maybe you could practice ninja skills and leave the workshop early."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"I do indeed," Peter agreed. "When do you want it?"

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

"Well," Conner told him conspiratorially, "I'm rooting for England out of Group B, just don't tell Pippi."

He bounced the ball off the floor and tried to put a header into the makeshift goal, then turned back to Peter. "Do I really want to try and out-ninja the scary ninja? Maybe I should call my brother, not that he ever actually graduated from ninja school."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"Good man," Peter said with a grin. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Your brother went to ninja school in the first place? That's impressive."

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

"Twin brother Eric," Conner clarified with an affectionate eyeroll, "and he flunked out. He's a total airhead though. We're nothing alike."

That last statement was still a bit absurd. No, Conner still didn't realize that.

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"Thanks," said Anders, and tried it again, a little more smoothly this time. "He talked me into it too. Well, not talked really. He just said they were short players and the game was tomorrow, and I kind of couldn't help it."

He looked a little sheepish. "I just hope I remember I'm not supposed to tackle people."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"Does he play football too?" Peter asked. "Or do ninjas not do that type of thing."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"He told me it was for the honour of the Stickbug cabin, so of course I had to accept," Peter replied. "I'll remind you not to tackle if you'll point out that dribbling doesn't involved feet, deal?"

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

"Nah," Conner replied, "but I don't think it has anything to do with being a ninja. He's more into rollerblading."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders grinned and took a shot that swished cleanly through the net. Beginner's luck, but he'd take it. "It's a deal."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders spotted Conner across the gym and jogged over. "Hey, McKnight!"

[OOC: I have to do this. The Crazy (tm) demands it.]

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

"Hey, Anders." Conner had just lined up several soccer balls and was ready to start taking shots when he heard his name. "This is the first time I've actually run into you down here, seems like. What's up?"

[OOC: Clearly you are crazier than I.]

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

Anders shrugged. "I don't come down here much when other people are using the place. I'm weird about my workouts that way, but I kind of need the basketball court today."

[OOC: No, really. Trust me. I'm not crazier than you.]

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

"You need it?" Conner asked. "But you don't play basketball."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"I don't usually, but I sort of got drafted into playing the game tomorrow." Anders looked mildly guilty. "And I might've volunteered you."

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

Conner might've looked just a touch revolted, but he clamped down on it quickly. "You volunteered me to play basketball? Dude, you know that's not my game."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"I know, I know! It's not mine either. But Tyler said they needed players, and I haven't had a good competitive game of anything in forever since Thrace left, and your name just sort of came up. You don't have to if you don't want to," Anders said quickly.

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

Conner's eyebrow rose at the unfamiliar name for reasons he couldn't figure out. "All right," he conceded. "I'll play. But you so owe me for this."

[cantgetnorelief.livejournal.com]

"Cool. Practice is down here this afternoon," Anders said, relieved. "See you there? I gotta go work on my ball-handling some more." He jogged back down to the other end of the court and went back to teaching himself some basketball basics.

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

"Uh, sure, man." Conner shook his head and went back to his practice routine until he'd gotten all the balls into the goal, then put the equipment away and got a basketball for himself. Might as well take a few practice shots.

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"That a sport, fighting style, or something completely different?" Peter asked with a grin.

[connernotconnor.livejournal.com]

"I guess it's a sport," Conner said, ever so slightly disdainful, because rollerblading didn't usually involve scoring points. "They're rollerskates with four wheels in a row, sort of like ice skates. Some people do tricks with them but he likes to race."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"Sounds interesting," Peter said. "Though I have to say I prefer cricket or football. What's the point of making oneself feel like a hamster racing on a wheel?"

[1ordinarygirl.livejournal.com]

Buffy considered it. "Monday?"

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"May I beg for later in the week?" he asked as his mun would be afk all Monday

[1ordinarygirl.livejournal.com]

Buffy frowned at him. What kind of begging behaviour was this? Then she got an idea. "Maaybe. If you teach me the sword stuff too. Either before or after ice-cream, you can choose," she added generously.

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"Surely," Peter said. "Have you learned swordwork before?"

[1ordinarygirl.livejournal.com]

Buffy shook her head. "Nope! But it looks cool. And one day I might have to kill my true love with one to save the world, as one does."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

Peter grinned. "It's more than cool; it's brilliant. Thursday afternoon shall we say?"

[1ordinarygirl.livejournal.com]

"That works!" Buffy nodded and smiled. She pointed at her discarded pom-poms. "I got to get back to my practicing now, but I'll see you then for sure."

[once-a-king.livejournal.com]

"Definitely," Peter said. "Let me know what time. Good luck tomorrow!"