[OOM] Further Monastery Shenanigans.

[orange_lily]

The sort-of-morning is accompanied by Yugo poking his head around the door of Autor's room, murmuring 'duuuude' for about twenty seconds, and then waiting outside until the boy is ready.

When he is, Yugo guides him down an array of hallways until they reach the slightly dingy room that Soukichi, a middle-aged man in white currently reading a Raymond Chandler book, has turned into a makeshift training gym.

"Dude, this is Soukichi. Soukichi, dude, this is Autor. He is small and kittenlike."

Comments

[herr_bookman]

At the introduction, Autor glares at Yugo in the same way a grumpy kitten wouldn't.

He returns his book--yes, a geological survey--back to his sylladex. Then he pulls the sleeves of his track suit--one which looks ridiculously like a certain school uniform.

Inclining his head, the kid offers a respectful bow to his new teacher. "Soukichi."

The boy is totally ready for whatever the man in white can dish out. Totally.

[orange_lily]

Soukichi squints at Autor, as if trying to determine how much of a resemblance to a kitten there is, and then shrugs one shoulder, gesturing to Yugo.

"Yugo, push-ups."

"Dude," Yugo says quickly, but obeys.

Soukichi peers at Autor again, measuring. "I was told you'd be coming. You've been in the archives by now?"

[herr_bookman]

Autor tries not to wrinkle his nose. "I have," he says. "I have found them extremely useful."

To the point of his only catching three hours sleep--two less than usual--and why he had to take an extra minute to suit up this morning.

"I'm a runner, but I'm not in shape other than that," he says, moving on. He and Yugo can tell Soukichi what they learned in the archives after they've been put through their push-ups. "I have a decent right hook and the correct stance for it, but I'm scrawny, and I won't have the advantage of height most of the time."

He tilts his head. "You know all of this, I'm sure, just by looking at me. So where do I start?"

[orange_lily]

"Join Yugo and follow his lead for now. Do as much as you can without straining yourself too much," Soukichi says, in something of a low grumble - although he appears to talk in a perpetual grumble anyway. "I'll find you some gloves, and when you're done with that we'll see how you are on the bags."

Yugo keeps doing push-ups for a while - a bit after Autor joins him, he switches to sit-ups, and eventually finishes off by jogging at a decent pace

[herr_bookman]

Autor starts out fresh--well, as fresh as he can be without his morning tea--and sets to doing push-ups.

He stinks. Seriously. He barely manages six, and then five more, on frustration and shame alone. I'll be able to do these by the time I leave.

Now, sit-ups he can do, though he tuckers out about half-way through... and pushes past that, to the point where Yugo almost stops. Almost.

The jogging is almost a relief, though he clutches his knees and breathes by the end of it. Dignity takes a backseat to cramping. He rolls up his sweaty sleeves and turns his head up to Yugo. "Tell me you weren't in shape like this when you started?"

[orange_lily]

"Dude, I was totally terrible when I started. But I've been doing this, like, most days for five months now, plus sword practice," Yugo says gently. "Don't worry, bro, when we're done, we can go and get some ice cream."

[herr_bookman]

Autor laughs, and coughs into his fist. "They serve ice cream here? Huh."

He stands and draws a breath through his nose, ignoring the sweat cutting down his spine. "It is nice to have someone to run with, though," he says, trying to tamp down the thought of Sunshine, running around the lake alone. "Think Soukichi has our gloves by now?"

[orange_lily]

Pause.

"Well, er, there might be some in the kitchens. Or we could shamelessly misuse the dimensional walls and find an ice cream stand in Shiragiku."

In answer to Autor's question, a pair of gloves hits the side of Yugo's head, before another pair is tossed towards Autor.

[herr_bookman]

Autor giggle-snorts quietly as he catches his gloves. "That might not be such a good idea," he says, stating the obvious as he dons his cloves--possibly incorrectly.

The takes a stance, bringing his arms up like he saw in the books he'd looked up before coming.

That, too, will need corrected.

[orange_lily]

Yugo takes the time while Soukichi is approaching to delicately adjust Autor's gloves, and then quickly manipulating his arms and legs into a better stance.

"Okay," Soukichi says as he approaches. "If you take the heavy bag in the corner, Autor, I can see just what you know already."

[herr_bookman]

Autor nods, shaking his arms and legs out. He still feels a little bit oxygen-starved, but stalks over to the bag.

And he soon proves... that he knows very little about striking a target with his fists. He can throw a right hook, and he has decent footwork for not getting knocked over.

But what the boy really knows is how to take a hit--and come back with a bloody smirk.

[orange_lily]

Yugo keeps a weather eye on them as he practices on a bag nearby, while Soukichi watches with an unreadable expression.

"Do you get bullied a lot at school?" He asks, a little way through.

[herr_bookman]

And the kid stumbles, right into the bag, which smacks him back on its return. He lifts his head and wipes his bloody nose on the back of his wrist.

"What?" he blurts, intelligently.

[orange_lily]

The look Yugo gives Soukichi is vaguely warning.

Soukichi is very calm, raising one hand to steady the bag. "At school. Bullied. You seem like someone who can take a punch."

[herr_bookman]

Autor sniffs at the blood and punches the bag again. "I used to be," he says with a huff. "Then I got to the point where I could predict their movements"--all of them, down to the minute--"so I didn't run into them anymore. But things changed. Recently."

He tries a kick. It doesn't go well. But he stays on his feet. Once he rebalances, he turns to face Soukichi. Calculating. Challenging.

"So?"

[orange_lily]

"Just a matter of interest," Soukichi says. "I like to know who I'm working with."

[herr_bookman]

Autor turns his face away and wipes his nose again. "Well, now you know," he says quietly. Then he turns back. "What can you teach someone like me?"

[orange_lily]

"I can teach you plenty," Soukichi says.

He spends the next few minutes showing Autor how to throw a couple of types of punches with correct form, being somewhat gruff but not unkind, so much.

[herr_bookman]

And Autor has plenty to learn. He'll punch himself to exhaustion, or Soukichi says stop, whichever comes first.

It'd be cathartic, if he weren't so determined to perfect every punch.

[orange_lily]

Soukichi does, eventually, tell him to stop.

"Good enough," he decides, "you learn quickly, boy. Quicker than Fujita," he nods at Yugo, "even with any bleed-over from what the bird knows."

"Dude," Yugo says reproachfully, leaning on his own bag. "Harsh."

[herr_bookman]

"That is," the boy says, mouth dry as he clutches the bag and rests his cheek on it. "Harsh. I mean. Yugo's extremely perceptive."

Panting, Autor rapidly shakes out a hand, already feeling a burn in his wrists. "What now?"

He has a feeling that if he keeps clinging to the punching bag, he'll fall asleep on his feet. But if he lets go, he'll fall to the floor. Decisions, decisions.

[orange_lily]

"Now," Yugo says before Soukichi can say anything, settling his hands on Autor's shoulders. "I think we take a break, dude. C'mon, let's get you somewhere to sit down."

[herr_bookman]

Autor doesn't even have the strength in his arms to shrug Yugo's gloves off. He feels one part giddy and two parts nauseated, and all parts tired and sore--along with a sprinkling of relief due to sitting down.

"That was," he says, hanging his head between his knees, "one of the most intense periods of exercise I've ever been privy to, and we didn't even give him the intel. Do you really do this every day? I thought I was in shape from running!"

[orange_lily]

"Well, dude, you know. Better to be too in shape than not if you're fighting monsters," Yugo says easily. "Besides, I've had time to get used to it."

[herr_bookman]

"Point taken," the kid says. "What was that about abusing the dimensional something-something and getting ice cream?"

He waves his glove in the air and wipes his nose again. "I didn't think I'd want any, but now it seems like a great idea."

[orange_lily]

"Ice cream is always a great idea, dude," Yugo says. He waves a glove at Soukichi. "Hey, Soukichi, bro! We're going to go scout out Shiragiku. Give me a call if there's any Phantom activity."

Soukichi looks dubious. "Scout out?"

"Dude. Totally. It's important to know the lay of the land, man."

[herr_bookman]

Autor can't repress his smile. He already knows the lay of the land, as it were, having spent all night in the archives examining most of the cities Phantoms appeared.

Which reminds him... "Yugo," he whispers, "should we give him the video now or just leave it behind?"

[orange_lily]

Yugo pauses.

Then: "Probably now, dude." Beat. "Hey, Soukichi! We have some intel for you, too!"

[herr_bookman]

Autor shucks his gloves and tightens his shoes. He might be able to get ten feet away before his legs collapse from under him. Maybe.

"We wanted to let you know that we managed to speak to Phoenix," he says confidently. "And recorded it."

Then he glances to Yugo. Your show.

[orange_lily]

The look Yugo gives Autor says One day you shall pay for this treachery.

He takes off his gloves, one by one. "I mean, dude, the details totally don't matter, but - ..."

"Yugo."

"Okay, okay, we may have manifested him through a holographic display. Which turned out fine, by the way," Yugo adds when he sees the minute twitches in Soukichi's features that indicate that he's furious. "But we got a lot of useful information out of it. Which we will give to you as a gift in exchange for not exacting some kind of horrible revenge."

Soukichi folds his arms, looking just ever-so-slightly irritated. "It didn't occur to you to consult myself or Yuriko beforehand?"

"Well, dude, the displays were right there, and ..."

Soukichi holds up a hand. "Fine, fine, just give me the data so I can start planning when to go back on my word and punish you."

[herr_bookman]

"In our defense," Autor says, mirroring the hand Soukichi holds up, "you probably wouldn't have let us proceed with the conversation without supervision--or at all. Correct? We've established a rapport with Phoenix, and I think we can keep talking with him in this manner. He could be very helpful to you."

Autor turns his sheepish grin to Yugo. "So, uh. How about that ice cream?"

[orange_lily]

"Yeah, dude. What kittenface said. See, he's as smart as he is adorable," Yugo says.

There is a very long pause.

"Dude, totally, ice cream is awesome, let's go."

[herr_bookman]

"I am not a kitten," Autor huffs, stretching his aching limbs. Oh, that's going to be a bruise tomorrow.

The boy's post-workout soreness flares up, however, when Yugo informs him where the dimensional gate to town is. "Really?" he says, failing miserably to keep the aggravation out of his voice. "We have to walk all the way down?"

By the time they reach the foot of the mountain, the kid is half-considering finding a stick to lean on.

[orange_lily]

"Dude, it's not that far, it's like half a mile before the gate," Yugo says.

'Half a mile' is more like 'a mile' in this case, and the gate appears to be situated just a few feet from a cliff that goes from 'moderate incline' to 'sheer drop into nothingness', but who's keeping track?

Yugo fiddles with a holographic display a while, targeting a point in inner city Shiragiku. With a nod, he leads Autor through.