The Salle, Sunday Morning

[wrongkindofsith]

Normally, Cara trained either in her room or some secluded corner of the preserves, but after the truly wonderful night she'd had last night, this morning she couldn't stand the one and didn't have the patience to find the other.

Which was how she found herself in the Salle, running through forms with a great deal more aggression than was truly necessary.

[Expecting one in particular, but open Salle is open]

Comments

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

Sometimes it was like Clark had a sixth sense when it came to finding his friends. Today he certainly wasn't complaining about finding Cara working out in the Salle.

Looking around the room, it reminded him of Lex - minus the fencing mask and training sword, naturally. Clark hung out in the doorway, watching and waiting for her to give a sign that he was welcome.

[wrongkindofsith]

Mornings like these, Cara really only had two reasons to want to interact with other people, but since one of those two did tend to involve Clark...

She stepped back from a lunge into a resting stance, agiels hanging by her sides, and acknowledged him with a nod. "Clark."

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"You seem to be working out some serious aggression," Clark said, stepping inside with a smile. "Think it's safe for me in here?"

[wrongkindofsith]

"I don't bite," Cara replied, as she slipped her agiels back into their holster, too on edge to return the smile yet. "Not in public, anyway."

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

Even if she wasn't smiling, she certainly had a way of bringing out his bashful side as much as he'd like to block it. "You sure were working hard there. I'd be willing to help out if you were gonna keep going."

[wrongkindofsith]

While Cara's first inclination was to suggest that help work out the tension another way, she also hadn't trained against another person since she'd gotten here. Plus it was hardly like the one idea precluded the other.

"Mord'Sith don't hold back when we fight. Even in practice." That wasn't so much a 'no' as a warning.

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

Clark remembered a time when he'd tried to explain the whole invulnerable thing to her, but maybe this would work better. "Trust me, Cara, I think I know better than to expect you to hold back," he said. "And I promise I can take whatever you bring."

[wrongkindofsith]

"I'm not joking, Clark," Cara explained patiently. Well, relatively patiently all things considered. "Even without my agiels, I could hurt you, badly." Still wasn't a 'no' though.

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

"Don't worry," he told her, taking this seriously even if he was smiling. "You really can't." Clark even tried to assume a more punching bag-like position in front of her. "Try!"

[wrongkindofsith]

Under most circumstances Cara would simply have walked out rather than indulge this insanity further, but as it was her already frayed temper snapped and she stalked over to the weapons locker to retrieve a dagger.

"Give me your hand."

She was going to nip this 'invulnerable' nonsense in the bud before he really got himself hurt.

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

Even if it meant bending her dagger in the process, Clark was ready to show Cara he wasn't lying about what he could do. "Don't hurt yourself trying," he warned, holding his hand out, palm up.

[wrongkindofsith]

If he was just going to stand there and let her cut, it was clearly past time for someone to be doing this. Luckily the blade was sharp enough that it should only start hurting afterward.

Without hesitating, she dragged the dagger across his palm in a practised stroke that should have left a clean, shallow, but freely bleeding gash behind.

[redandblueblur.livejournal.com]

Instead there was a whole lot of nothing happening. "See, nothing."

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

Bobby hadn't really spent much time in his room last night after backing away very quietly from his roommate who didn't seem to be having the best night. So he was exploring the parts of the school he hadn't got to yet.

When he pushed the door open, his eyes lit up at seeing his friend Cara but he managed to sty quiet as she went through her forms because even Bobby realised distracting someone like that could be bad.

[wrongkindofsith]

Very bad, even when Cara wasn't in a mood.

Eventually she did need to pause between forms to catch her breath though. "Bobby."

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

"That is so cool!" he said excitedly. "Is that, like, karate?"

[wrongkindofsith]

"What's karate?" That would be a no, then.

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

"Like - fighting. with your hands and feet," Bobby explained. He wandered further into the salle. "But you have sticks too!" There was reaching to touch one. "What are they?"

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara had been about to reply that unarmed combat used slightly different forms but she caught sight of where Bobby's hand was headed. "Don't." Her voice was like a whip-crack as she pulled her agiels back out of reach. "Never touch an agiel."

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

Totally startled by her reaction, Bobby jerked his hand back, his face a picture of shock. "Why not?"

Because apparently his curiosity was still right there.

[wrongkindofsith]

"They're weapons, powerful ones," Cara explained, her tone firm, but less abrupt now that Bobby was a safer distance away. "No one can stand the touch of the agiel if they haven't been trained to."

Bobby didn't want to know what that 'training' involved.

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

"Why?" he asked, refusing to be deterred. Bobby looked at Cara with concern. "Does it hurt?"

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara shrugged. "More than anything."

[notlikejack.livejournal.com]

"But..." Bobby was frowning now as he tried to work out what he wanted to say.

[wrongkindofsith]

"But what?" Cara asked. "I'm used to it, all Mord'Sith are."