The gym, Friday morning

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Aeryn's at the gym pretty early today. She's been slacking a little lately, and every once in a while you just really need to hit something just because. She goes to get the gloves from the locker, leaves them on the mat where Rory could see them, and then starts hitting the bag kind of hard as a warmup while she waits.


[For rory__gilmore, but open. SP is love and all.]

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"Good," she says after inspecting her hand. "Refresh my memory and hit the bag, will you?"

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Rory takes a good look at the bag, visualizes a dark helmet and imagines the sound of assisted breathing.

Then she recalls him telling her that he's not Anakin anymore, and hits the bag as hard as she can.

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"Did that hurt at all?" Aeryn asks. If Rory's feeling any twinges in her wrist or arm, it means she didn't hit it straight.

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"My wrist went numb," Rory says, shaking it out. "But I'm okay."

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"If you're sure," she says, giving her an out just in case. She demonstrates the correct positioning with her own hand for Rory to copy. "Keep your wrist straight. It lets you hit harder and you stand much less chance of hurting yourself."

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Rory studies Aeryn's hand and mimics the positioning. "Okay. And is this the only way to hit?"

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"No, but it's fairly standard and the easiest to learn," she says. "Try it again, see if it's better."

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Rory tries again, and smiles. "It didn't hurt or go numb or anything. It just feels like my hand!"

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"Good... that it feels like your hand," she says. And because she's found that other people tend to do this, she asks, "Are you visualizing anything when you hit?"

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Rory nods.

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She doesn't need to ask. Instead she says, "Aim for a specific part, keeping your form as intact as possible."

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Rory nods again, and pictures Vader standing in front of her.

That box on his chest has always looked vulnerable, so she hits exactly where she was visualizing it as hard as she can.

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By watching Aeryn can get a general idea of where Rory's hitting, and that's a little weird for her, because now she's thinking about the durability of the suit. "How was that?"

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"Therapeutic," Rory says honestly.

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"Good," Aeryn says quietly. "In reality, you would bruise your hand, probably skin it, and it'll hurt you more than him. Physically, at least." She's not sure what it would do to Anakin otherwise to be hit that way.

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"The whole physical angle is kind of not the biggest deal right now," she says quietly. "I want to hurt him emotionally, and if I can bruise Anakin even without breaking through Vader's suit, I'm set."

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She nods. "Okay. He doesn't have a lot of vulnerable spots in the suit, so aiming directly for the chestplate is probably the best way to avoid injury. And he won't be happy about it." She might manage to stun him. She wouldn't bet on it, though.

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"Wow, he won't be happy? Whatever will I do?" Rory asks sardonically. "His happiness is such a concern of mine."

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"I'm saying you need to be prepared for the reaction," Aeryn tells her.

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She nods. "I know. And I am prepared. Luke thinks I'm reckless, and I'm pretty sure that's the first time anyone's said that about me."

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"Recklessness usually doesn't involve premeditation," she points out. "I'm not sure what to call it."

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"Stupidity?" she suggests a little self-deprecatingly.

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"I wouldn't call it that, either." She bites back any comment about not wanting her to do this at all, but she couldn't make it any clearer when she agreed to this. "Try it again," she says. "If you think you'll be angry at him, use that."

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Rory remembers everything Vader said about not being Anakin anymore, and how he wouldn't hesitate to hurt her if he had to.

The bag swings a bit with the force of her next hit.

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Aeryn moves behind the bag to steady it. "Is that what you usually feel like when you talk to him?" she asks. She's not sure if it has to do with the training or if she's just curious.