The Salle, Sunday Crack o'Dawn Until Well Into The Afternoon

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

You got used to certain things, in Jaeger Academy. Like getting up at five sharp and spending the next fourteen hours in the Kwoon, working your arse off. Chuck didn't have any instructors now, or any fellow students to practice against-- didn't matter. He'd been slacking for over a week now, waiting for this new school, and it was time to pick things back up again.

Even if he was nursing a minor hangover. In fact, the hangover helped pick up the right level of aggression - that level that he was unleashing on one of the poor practice dummies right now. Going through the forms, hitting at least half of the major ones. Keep going. Keep working at it.

When he got back to the Academy in summer, he had to be in the same shape as everyone else. It didn't matter he'd be forced to stick to a crazy island boarding school, or that his father seemed to have lost his goddamned mind-- he was gonna keep working for it.

Max sat in the corner of the room, his leash tied to one of the benches. Training or not, there was no way Chuck was letting the pup out of his sight.

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[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"I've seen better racks," Chuck offered, "But I'll live."

[seveninchmotto]

"That's a lie."

Sorry, she was just effortlessly smug by nature. As if that had not become obvious already.

"The first part, obviously. The second only becomes a lie in the long run."

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

Chuck's ribs were starting to ache. Damn it. "You don't get out much, do you?"

[seveninchmotto]

"I bet I get out more than you do."

And now she was bored, so she was just going to go the simplest way and reach for her whip.

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

Chuck's hand shot out for her wrist. Not like he hadn't seen that one coming, after all.

[seveninchmotto]

She hadn't tried to be subtle about it, either. Still, she didn't attempt anything as obvious as trying to pry her wrist from his grasp.

But stomping on his foot probably wasn't very subtle, either. The heels on her boots were chunky, but they still put a lot of sudden pressure on one spot.

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"Ow!"

Seriously. That fucking hurt.

He twisted his body out of her way, hip with the whip first, and took a step back.

[seveninchmotto]

And to think she would've done the same thing with stilettos, too!

"Has it occurred to you yet that not giving me back what's mine is only going to lead to more pain?"

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"I've stood eye-in-eye with a kaiju and lived to tell the tale," Chuck said. At this point he didn't even care if she knew what that was or not. "I'm not going to be scared off by a posturing little girl in big shoes."

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle was going to ignore that dumb insult, because something else had her attention. Her head tilted to the side.

"Kaiju?"

It was probably best to note that wasn't really a 'what the hell is a kaiju?' question. More like 'I have only ever heard one other person say that word, so I'm checking if I heard right' kind of thing.

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, kaiju."

Okay, different response than he'd been getting, which was, something.

[seveninchmotto]

Yeah, Isabelle entire demeanor had changed a little at this bit of news. A little more serious. Older, even.

"They had one of those where my roommate is from."

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"Yeah? That would be the first one I hear about, outside of my old man," Chuck said, tilting his head. "--well, and Raleigh Becket, I suppose, but I doubt he's your roommate."

What with being an adult and all.

[seveninchmotto]

He really desperately needed to take a better look at Raleigh.

"Well, I know the room doesn't look like it – thank the Angel – but yes, he is."

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

He'd been too busy glaring the first time, it's true!

Chuck stared at her. Then he burst out laughing. "Really?" he said. "Isn't he a little old for that? Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

Loser that Raleigh was.

[seveninchmotto]

"He's about fourteen," Isabelle replied, raising an eyebrow at him.

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"Pretty sure he's-- twenty? Twenty-one? I don't really keep up on my washout stats," Chuck said.

[seveninchmotto]

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Maybe where you're from."

Which was not the same as where everyone else was from. Hint hint.

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"Whatever," Chuck said, sounding bored. "So Rayleigh told you all about kaiju, eh."

[seveninchmotto]

"Raleigh," Isabelle corrected, although it was like an afterthought. "And, just a little. A Greater Demon came from the ocean. That kind of thing."

Her term, not his.

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"You could call 'em that," Chuck said, tilting his head. "Big fucking lizards is what I'd go with."

[seveninchmotto]

"Greater Demons come in all shapes." Lizard included. So that still worked with Isabelle's chosen way of understanding these things. "And you've stood eye to eye with one?"

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"Scissure. It attacked my hometown," Chuck said. "Razed a good portion of it to the ground before they managed to take it out."

He was nine. It had killed his mother. He wasn't sharing either of those details.

[seveninchmotto]

She wasn't asking for them, either.

In fact, all she said was, "Hmm."

[jaegerborn.livejournal.com]

"Hmmm," Chuck echoed, with a plastic smile.