Someone doesn't want a Jungian adventure

[mindofathief]

Who: Duster and anyone
Where: Hero Training Facility
When: Month of November
What: Not only is Duster anxious about how his Shadow might act, he's also upset at Santa's betrayal during the Night of the Thirteen Moogles. He's not sure what to do apart from sulking alone, but he does have his job at the Hero Training Facility he can't ignore.

The cold wind did not help Duster's mood. It bit at his nose no matter how often he readjusted his red scarf. It covered his ears, increasing the regret of not bringing a hat. Not that he cared about going back home to grab one. Every morning, he felt that the heat of his frustration would fuel enough warmth. Every morning, he realized that it was not to be so.

A man from a warm seaside town will never be used to Aqures Ixen weather.

Thankfully, the building that house the Training Facility was warm, and Duster felt relieved to be in a comfortable place that did not demand self-reflection. No secret side to confront, no former friends to split off from. All that he needed on his mind was tactics. All that he needed to do was to kick things hard and teach people how to kick things hard.

He took up his usual spot at the end of the room, setting up a red punching bag, and warmed up with several easy kicks. The sign outside pointed out to potential students where hand-to-hand combat lessons were being taught.

Self Defense Classes
Learn martial arts from Duster
Taught here all day today.

That old almost-a-haiku was still up.

Comments

[pot_head]

Self Defense? Martial Arts? Were those types of classes? Either way, if it meant Donny could improve, he wanted in!

So he casually strolls inside, oblivious to the downer mood that Duster has. He pauses as he sees Duster kick the day away, but eventually he calls out. "Hello?"

[mindofathief]

Duster gives the dummy one final, hard kick. It does help stave off his anger and frustration, which is kind of important when making a first impression. When he turns around, his eyes look tired in contrast to his confident stance.

"Are you here for the self-defense lessons?"

[pot_head]

Phew. This guy... was amazing! Donny certainly feels pumped and ready to go!

"Yes, sir! Are you the fella that's givin' the lessons?"

[mindofathief]

He nods. Duster holds a hand to steady the punching bag, still slowly swinging from the last hit.

"If you take off your shoes and helmet, we can start." soft leather or not, hard shoes give a distinct advantage in combat.

[pot_head]

There's a long, somewhat awkward pause as Donny tries to figure out how best to put this.

"... Mind if I keep the pot on? That all right?"

[mindofathief]

Duster's eyes have some of their light return, though it's due to having to think about an unexpected topic. Pots are a rare kind of equipment, even for a native of the Nowhere Islands. It makes sense for Donny to use it as battle armor in the field, but not during training.

"I'm not going to hit you in the head, it that's what you're worried about."

[pot_head]

"It ain't that, sir, though it's much appreciated." A loud, clearly embarrassed gulp followed, his cheeks reddening. "Just, uh, personal reasons, y'could say."

[mindofathief]

"Personal...?" His eyes remained locked on the shiny metal atop Donnel's head. "It's not too heavy, is it?"

Certainly no one wore pots on their heads outside of battle. These self-defense lessons were best practiced while wearing everyday outfits.

[shinra_dog]

Reno wasn't usually one to train with others, at least not in public gyms. Most people didn't appreciate a lot of his "tactics," though the Turk training came out instinctively. And he didn't usually like other people telling him what to do, even if it was good advice.

So it was usually just avoided.

He slunk into the Training Facility today, though, looking for Duster. He was relieved the other man was actually there.

"Hey."

[mindofathief]

Duster paused his training when he saw Reno. He hadn't spoken to him much, but the other Hero was familiar enough that Duster didn't put much effort into looking like he was alright. He wasn't.

"Hey."

He hooked his thumbs in his pants pockets and diverted his gaze towards the swinging dummy. Reno was either here to spar or to talk, and Duster hoped it was the former.

[shinra_dog]

Fortunately for Duster, Reno wasn't the best at serious talks, either.

"So, I heard some bad shit happened -- I mean, besides the obvious."

Because necromancers and zombies and those damn evil moogles again?

"I figured you might wanna beat on someone you didn't hafta hold back on." Reno rolled his shoulders and smiled. Since Santa wasn't an option.

[mindofathief]

Duster continued to look away from Reno, though he pulled his hands out of his pockets. Despite the offer, he was certain that if they maintained eye contact before the actual spar, he'd be stuck with explaining himself.

"Sounds good," he finally admitted with a shrug. He stepped back until he stood in the center of the matted area and held his arms up, prepared for a fight.

[shinra_dog]

Reno nodded and took his shoes off to match Duster before standing across from the other man. Whereas Duster's stance held a proper defense, arms up and ready, Reno's was loose and informal. While he'd certainly been trained in other martial arts styles, he still felt more comfortable in the old habitual ways -- just honed by the exposure to diversity. Besides, he'd always been more of one to dodge and outmaneuver his opponents; he didn't have the sheer strength Rude did to push through people.

He didn't know everything that happened, he'd only heard bits and pieces. Johnny was closer to Duster than he was. But this man before him wasn't the same one fretting about his feelings in the aftermath of mind-controlled murder (which was still pretty bad). This sullen, sad... thing... It was so obvious something happened. And Reno liked Duster enough to feel bad.

If this could help, what was the real harm? A little physical pain? Meh.

Reno gestured for Duster to come at him, ready as he'd ever be.

[mindofathief]

Duster shifted his weight. Most trained in the martial arts focused on punches. Wess believed that the hands should be free for items, and Duster should learn to attack primarily with his feet. Reno would notice that the stance was an unusual one, especially if he had fought many hand-to-hand specialists.

Even without the speed granted by various Jobs, Duster was fast. He bent forward as he rushed towards Reno, aiming for a low kick once he was close enough.

[shinra_dog]

Ah... so this really wasn't going to be a traditional fight. Good. Reno found himself grinning as both of their stances defied the "normal" hand-to-hand form he'd frequently seen. It made things interesting.

Duster was fast. Faster than most of the people Reno had faced, except for perhaps the Remnants. They hardly counted as real people. It was a good thing Reno was fast, too, as Duster came up on him and Reno realized what he was going to do. It was a close dodge as Reno jumped the kick and sent his own toward Duster's shoulder. If the other man was as good as Reno thought he was, he was sure it would be blocked. Still, he was a show-off.

[mindofathief]

Duster shifted to the side, along the direction of Reno's kick, and lifted his forearm to block the attack. He hadn't equipped the Monk Job in months, not after being possessed, and he could feel Reno's leg pushing into his skin. He'd done something wrong when switching out Dragoon for Santa Claus.

But that didn't mean he'd give up. Duster took the opportune moment to take advantage of Reno's vulnerability and reached out to grab him by the shirt for a follow-up attack. He'd twist the man around and kick him.

[fearlessherosheart]

Tazendra had been... well, not ashamed of the fact she apparently got herself killed and returned as undead and, more importantly, under the influence of the same Moogle spirits that kept trying to cause trouble every autumn. But she was aware that she'd caused some trouble, and was thus interested in assisting in repairs and gestures of goodwill. (beyond her employment at the Crystal research facility, of course.)

And, well, that meant also checking in with Duster. "Ah, good day. Have you a moment?"

[mindofathief]

Duster didn't blame Tazendra. After all, he had been possessed by another force and driven to commit murder just months earlier. Tazendra just happened to be more capable of commanding a zombie army, that was all.

He paused his kicking, and watched her curiously. He supposed he should talk to her to clear up any misunderstandings. Duster walked off the matted area and sat by his removed shoes. "Yeah, I'm free."

[fearlessherosheart]

"I had wondered... have you any tasks you need performed? I feel..." Tazendra paused, considering this. "You provided some assistance while I was possessed, and I would like to return the favor."

Mind control made this hard. It wasn't quite a debt, but Tazendra was aware that she could have easily killed Duster, and that he had taken a risk for her, if nothing else.

[mindofathief]

"Uh..." Duster folded his hands. Was there something? He recalled that his room needed to be cleaned, but he hated having anyone else dictate how to organize it.

"You can help me put away the training equipment at the end of the day," he suggested. "Sorry, it's hard for me to come up with something on the spot."

[fearlessherosheart]

"Should I have sent a letter ahead?" Tazendra asked.

[mindofathief]

"No, no." He shook his head. "Most people come here to practice fighting, not to clean up."

[fearlessherosheart]

"Ah, well, I normally drill on my own," Tazendra said.

[lostwisdom]

[It had been a while since she saw Duster around, so naturally when she saw the sign posted, she couldn't help but be a bit curious. As an aside, perhaps it would help to study a few other defense techniques for when she's on duty again.]

Hello? Duster? [Hopefully he at least remembers her, after it had been so long...]

[mindofathief]

[Duster wipes an old rag over his forehead. The workout had helped some, but the gross sweat was beginning to overpower to wonderful feeling of beating things up.]

Hi Ellana. [He remembers that one of the least stressful adventures during their cross-dimensional chase was in her world, and Ellana proved to be a resourceful fighter. Throwing bees as a weapon, just like a true native of the Nowhere Islands.]

Did you come to train?