[Open] With All The Force Of A Great Typhoon

[kree_soldieress]

WHO: Lauri-Ell, Open
WHERE: Civics Center Gym and Training Rooms
WHAT: Feeling weak post storm and trying to fix that with workouts, come join her!
WHEN: Late February (before realizing the Tony/Beck mess)
WARNINGS: None

The storm had come and gone, and never before had Lauri-Ell, Kree Accuser and royal Bodyguard, ever felt so powerless. Her hammer had been useless, the Agrii weapons had not functioned, and when she needed it most, the strength she had thought so core to who she was had even failed. There was only, in her opinion, one reasonable response to the situation.

Become stronger. Be better able to protect those who would have need of her.

Patrols were abandoned right now, in favor of rising with the dawn, eating, and returning to the training space.

"You must be stronger, to protect him," she reminded herself as she entered and moved right to the weight lifting gear.

Her attention was almost completely taken by the work, but not so deep that she would fail to notice someone entering. At least, provided the person wasn't trying to stay hidden. Otherwise she might not notice them over the low grunts that came with her lifting the heaviest weights she had available.

"I," she panted and lifted the insanely heavy weights on the bench, punctuating each word with a lift, "Will. Be. Better."

Comments

[orangewayfinder]

Terra hadn't had any idea as to what to think of the loss of his powers. It made him remember the days back when he was a kid before he could wield the keyblade and how he'd been in awe of Master Eraqus' abilities to handle the weapon. He also recalled hearing the stories and telling himself that he would wield it to defend his friends.

So he wandered around, trying to think of something to do and ended up going to the training room. Walking in he saw Lauri-Ell lifting weights. Terra smiled and looked over the weight rack.

But then he heard he speaking and he wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or someone else. That made him pipe up.

"You'll be better?"

[kree_soldieress]

His voice made Lauri-Ell look over. She moved to get the weights carefully on their holders before sitting up to look to Terra.

"Yes. I must be stronger. If I am not stronger, how can I protect people?"

[orangewayfinder]

He nodded because he knew what that felt like. He wanted strength to protect his friends as 'the things that matter' back home. So Terra started looking over the various weights. Well this would be a great place to start some training for that.

No wonder she was here.

"Did something happen during the whole moon screaming thing?"

Had she failed to protect someone here?

[kree_soldieress]

"Yes," she answered, her voice... Sad. disappointed. Frustrated. "I was not strong enough. "I was of the belief that my strength was great, greater than any here, but natural. And yet when the storm came, I was not strong as I should be."

How could she protect if she was weak?

"Therefore I must increase my strength."

[orangewayfinder]

Terra shook his head. "It's okay, I think a lot of people went through the same thing. Somehow the storm managed to take away or block our abilities, so you shouldn't beat yourself up for it too much."

He hoped he was being comforting here.

[kree_soldieress]

"My abilities are not special," Lauri-Ell counters. "They are just who and what I am."

So she was definitely not happy. In fact, she looked just a touch scared.

[orangewayfinder]

He had to smile because he thought pretty much along those same lines. Who would he be if he couldn't battle the heartless or unversed without a keyblade? How could he protect anyone without the magics that came with all of that?

But Terra shook his head as he picked up two of the smaller weights, testing them out. "So does everything seem to have gone back to normal after the storm?"

[kree_soldieress]

"Yes," she answered, but she doesn't really trust that. "I need to be strong enough without them though."

She has to figure this out. Has to know how to properly take care of people.

"So I must become stronger."

[orangewayfinder]

This was a matter of the storm interfering with their powers, but Terra wasn't going to try to bring that up. So he nodded and lifted the weights in his hands pretty easily. And had a thought.

"Do you mind if I train with you?"

[kree_soldieress]

"I would be pleased if you did," she answered with a smile, nodding her approval. "I have not had a dedicated training partner in a while."

[orangewayfinder]

This had Terra smile. "Regular training would be great, guess I never really thought about that, or having a partner to train with."

Sure he did back home with Aqua and Ven but that thought hadn't occurred to him to do while he was here. Well, this could be fun.

[kree_soldieress]

"Are you willing to spar against someone with a hammer?" She asked, rising to her feet and offering her hand out to him.

[orangewayfinder]

Terra took the offered hand and he nodded with a smile. "I'm going to say yes to the training, and avoid that hammer."

While he had complete faith in his abilities with a keyblade, he knew he could be crushed easily by Lauri-Ell and her hammer.

[heeeyadora]

Since being freed of Prime, Catra hadn't shown her face around much, and then the storm had hit; so it felt as though this was her first time really venturing back out on her own. She didn't have quite the same confidence she'd had previously, still shaken from everything she'd gone through, and it irked her.

So it took her by surprise when she caught herself staring at Lauri-Ell busy with her weights, a heat colouring her cheeks.

Wow.

"...Uh-" She gave a flustered blink to try and clear that flush, "...you good?"

[kree_soldieress]

If there was one sneaky person she was guaranteed not to notice upon initial entry, it was Catra. In fact, Lauri-Ell didn't notice her until the young woman made a noise.

It left Lauri-Ell in a position where she must notice her arrival, and so she lifted the weights up into their hold position. Which, of course, actually tok some strain in this situation given how she was pushing herself. The whole thing led to a very loud clanking noise given she had about every ounce of weight she could manage on the things.

Then and only then did she sit up to regard her guest, and with the widest grin she can manage.

"Miss Catra. It has been very long indeed since you came around to my attention. Is all well?"

[heeeyadora]

Catra swallowed thickly, and her ears swiveled back in embarrassment.

"You're the one trying to bench press a tank, don't I get to ask you that?" she countered, putting on a smirk and carding a hand back through her short hair, still not used to it.

[kree_soldieress]

This was an interesting point, she supposed. Not that she knew what to make of it. How did you respond to such a good point? Lauri-Ell wasn't sure she was ready to respond to it.

"I ask for your pallor suggests you are feverish," Lauri-Ell noted. "And you are messing with your hair. This seems to be a common self-reassurance method chosen by many humanoid races. It is much shorter, but it becomes you."

[heeeyadora]

"Feverish?" she echoed, before realizing what Lauri meant, that flush only growing deeper as she scowled and tried to force it away.

"You like it?" she asked, relaxing a little and dropping her hands from her hair, head tilting.

[kree_soldieress]

"Yes," Lauri-Ell said, nodding as she considered the hair style. "It is a good style for a warrior. And you are a great warrior."

She is certain of this. For now she rises and looks at the young woman.

"Still, you do look feverish. Do you require assistance in getting to the hospital?"

[heeeyadora]

Catra preened a little at that compliment, ears lifting, but they quickly lowered again in embarrassment at Lauri-Ell's insistence that she looked feverish.

"I'm fine," she grumbled, growing pinker.

[kree_soldieress]

"And yet you are flushed."

She rises and moves to the other, clearly reaching out to touch her forehead to check her health.

[heeeyadora]

"I'm not. I'm fine. It's nothing," Catra insisted, attempting to duck out from under the touch, her tail floofing out and giving an annoyed twitch.

"You're the one that was all...being weird before," she countered, trying to turn the attention back round on Lauri-Ell.

[kree_soldieress]

Well, that's worrying. She will have to see if someone with medical will look after Catra for her.

"I was not being weird. I was lifting weights."

[heeeyadora]

"I. Will. Be. Better," Catra imitated dramatically, lifting mock weights over head and then giggling. It was the first laugh she'd had in a while.

"What was that? Seriously?"

[kree_soldieress]

Oh. Lauri blushed at that, the skin on her cheeks going a deeper shade of blue.

"The storm was... unpleasant. It diminished me. I believe I shall have to grow stronger. If it diminishes what it is to be a Kree warrior, and I become better, then being diminished will leave me at a higher level."