12459/HULK SMA-- well okay not so much smash as spar

HULK SMA-- well okay not so much smash as spar
Date of Scene:	05 October 2022
Location:	Courtyard and Arena
Synopsis:	Marcy and Jen do a bit of sparring and weapons training, and then there's a bit of locker room talk.
Cast of Characters:	Jennifer Walters, Mercy Thompson

---

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer has made it a habit to get out to the Themysciran Arts Center three times a week to get some training in. She's trained with Captain America in the past, but there's nothing quite like Amazonian martial arts.

    She's dressed in the set of Themysciran armor that Diana had specially made for her large frame, under which she wears a pair of workout shorts and a sports bra. She's wielding a shield with the scales of justice emblazoned on it, and in the other hand a long spatha, both of which were also specially made for her.

    Currently she's sparring with one of the Amazon trainers. Even though she's getting better with these weapons, she's still no match for her opponent, which is fine. She's here to learn, not win. Finally, though, she calls for a break, and heads to the side to get herself some water.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy's studied a fair bit of martial arts, and done fairly well. She takes it seriously, as a means to survive in fights and knows it is more then just 'looking good' that is why she's agreed to sign up to be punished here.
    She shows up in workout clothes, not having any armor to wear of course. She has some sweat pants, she doesn't like tight pants as a rule, a sports bra and tank top to be able to sweat. Her tattoos are clear to be seen as she does some warm ups with kicks and punches to get her muscles ready to be punished.
    Looking around the slim woman that's all wiry muscle and not a lot of fat to her at all asks, "So where's the new girl class? I'm not sure how things are done here." She's ready to just sit and watch if that's the case to be honestly.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jen puts away about a gallon of water (hey, working out in this heat makes a girl thirsty!) before turning her attention to Mercy. "Over there," she says with a friendly grin, gesturing with her head towards the small group of people that she had just come from. "But be ready to sweat. Just because it's the beginner class it doesn't mean that they take it easy on you."

    She cocks her head and her eyebrows furrow a bit. "Hey, I remember you! You were here when they let us ride their kangas!" She steps forward and offers a hand. "We never got properly introduced. I'm Jennifer Walters. You know, She-Hulk." It's hard to mistake her for anybody else, since she's nearly seven feet tall and emerald green.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "I'm fine with sweat and hard work," she tells the much more impressive looking woman, "Thanks." She does one last little stretch of the arms and nods her head. "I was! Nice to meet you. You're easier to remember then most." But she takes the hand to shake it, "Mercy Thompson. What name do you want me to call you by?" She gets hero names and all that but also can get why some may not want that all the time. "Impressed you remembered me." She isn't sure but this woman makes her think of 'paper' and 'books' in her scent. Mercy would bet she works a lot with that in some way. Nothing holds scent like paper.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jen chuckles at that. "We Hulks are hard to miss. You can just call me Jen. I only use Jennifer professionally, and She-Hulk for when I'm out there kicking butt and taking names." She moves to rejoin the others at the beginners class and gestures for Mercy to follow her. "C'mon. Let me introduce you to the others."

    As they walk she asks curiously, "Have you decided on a weapon that you wanted to learn?" She points over to a nearby weapon rack that has a large variety of Amazonian weapons. "If you're not sure you can just try out different ones until you find one that you like. Took me a bit but I settled on a longsword and shield. I almost considered taking up a maul, but I do enough smashing out in the field I wanted to learn something with a little more finesse."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy goes with the tall green woman, "Well nice to meet you Jen. If I'm ever when you're kicking butt I doubt I'll be jumping into the fray with you." But never say never.
    She will be friendly to the others and shakes her head, "I assume pistol doesn't count? I am pretty good at firearms, but not had a lot of experience with melee weapons as much." Mercy turns a critical eye to them and says, "I rely on speed over power." Then again she muses aloud. "I have been working with the kangas some." Something tells her to try out the Dory spear. "Why not begin with this. The leverage may help offset my lower strength then everyone else here."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer grins, "I won't hold it against you. Not everybody enjoys getting into scrapes. Probably healthier that way." She chuckles and shakes her head, "No, guns aren't traditional Themysciran weapons. If you want to do ranged, you can always try your hand at the bow."

    She nods approvingly at Mercy's choice of weapon. "Good choice," she says. "I'd have gone with the spear myself, but I kept breaking them." She goes over and picks up one of the spare shields and hands that over to her. "Here, you'll want this too."

    "Sofia!" she calls out to the instructor, who holds up her hand to temporarily stop everybody from sparring. "This is Mercy, she wants to join us tonight."

    Sofia nods and shoots Mercy a grin. "Well met. Looks like you already picked out your weapon. "Go pair yourself with Melia, and she'll start you off with the basics."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy laughs, "oh doesn't matter what I do. Trouble finds me. So I gave up trying to avoid a quiet normal life and started to learn to be ready for almost anything." Almost the important word. "I don't want things that aren't flexible around my torso," she reaches out to flick a finger on the metal armor Jen has on. "I am not sure how this would work for me."
    She takes the shield and looks fairly dubious as she feels how it is on her arm and the weight of it. If Jen is sharp eyed she may notice she doesn't bare the weight quiet like a normal woman her size may. "I'll try it. I can see why it be good. Just going to be hard for me to 'brace' for a hit as much. Most of my training is about dodging and redirection."
    As an instructor comes over she gets a polite bow to her, "Hello Sofia. I'm likely to show up a lot more of late." Glancing to Jen, "Thanks for the help. Maybe we'll even lock up one day." With that she reflexively says, "yes sensei." Then wincing a she looks like a dupe probably. "Sorry. Habit from the dojo." She goes over toward Melia, "Hello. I'm Mercy Thompson." Introducing herself to the other Amazon.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer grins with a chuckle and says, "You're in good hands." She, then goes and pairs off with her instructor to get back to practicing. While her instructor isn't nearly as strong as Jen is, she is quicker and more agile and is frustratingly hard to hit. Still, Jen manages to strike her a few times, each of which gets a "Well done," and a break down of what she did right.

    Sofia on the other hand greets her with a warm smile. "It is always good to see new faces in our classes," she says, going to the weapon rack to put away her training sword to pick up a spear much like what Mercy's holding.

    "The spear and shield is an excellent choice. The spears reach gives you much room to maneuver and you'll find your quickness to be an advantage. You do not brace your shield like you may be thinking," Sofia says, tapping her shield with the wooden haft of her spear. "You do not make direct blocks with it. It sends too much force down your arm and if you are weaker than your opponent, you'll find that the strain of blocking it head on to be too much."

    "Rather, you would want to /redirect/ the blow off to the side. Much less strain that way. Here, let me show you." Sofia raises her shield in a ready position in front of her and instructs Mercy to thrust at her a couple of times to demonstrate what it is she's talking about, and then takes her turn making slow stabs at Mercy to have her practice the technique. Once Mercy has got the hang of it, the lesson moves to basic spear techniques. It's endlessly repetitive but that's the point. To get the basics into muscle memory.

    The lesson is about an hour long, give or take, and gives Mercy quite the workout, using muscles she doesn't typically use, and building up quite a sweat. When they're done with their lessons, Jennifer meets Mercy, herself free of any sweat due to her Hulklike constitution and says, "Well. How was it?"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy offers a friendly send off salute to Jen before they part ways. As she speaks with Sofia Mercy laughs, "Oh I'm pretty much weaker then everyone." But she stops the jokes after that. Mercy is all seriousness as she is learning and knowing these are the kind of lessons that keep you alive.
    Mercy has the advantage of having studied martial arts, so she was prepared for a LOT of repetition to be done again and again. That is the point of it. Spear pun intended.
    By the time it is done Mercy's arm is a bit sore and she rolls her shoulders looking for some water for herself. "Thank goodness I use my arms for work a lot," she says as Jen speaks up. "It was training. But it was neat to learn a new weapon more. No matter what I'm sure it will help in some way. How about your own?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    "It certainly different than the usual HULK SMASH kind of fighting that we're known for," Jen says with a grin as she leads Mercy to the locker rooms. "I've always had the advantage because people expect me to fight like my cousin, all rage and wild swings, and, yeah sure I get to that place sometimes, usually I fight with more control and technique."

    "I trained with Captain America for a while, so I knew a thing or two about wielding a shield before I got here." She chuckles as she starts removing her armor, "But the Amazons had to break me from using his style since it's very different than what they use here. At least I can still throw the shield if I need to. Not nearly as well as Cap," she says shrugging her shoulders, "but who is, really?"

    "There are showers over there if you want to wash off all that sweat," she says pointing the way. "After that, well, how about a bite to eat? Sparring always gives me the munchies."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy is draining her water pretty hard and pours about a cup worth on her hair to help rinse things off. "Need a hand," she offers about the armor because some stuff is just easier with a second one. "I imagine having to adjust the reach and feel of your legs and limbs is something. I know a little something about that." She can't help but laugh, "I'm good at throwing hub caps that deserver it."
    Mercy looks to the showers and gives a nod. "Sure thing. Just no teasing the short skinny girl about her scars. I wouldn't be surprised if I can almost eat as much as you after today." She starts to tug off her clothes without too much preamble.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jen does likewise. Even though her superhuman constitution means that an hour worth of workout doesn't get her to sweat, there /is/ the packed dirt of the arena so dust tends to get everywhere.

    "It is," she says. "Starting this was so beyond my comfort zone it's kind of amazing how natural it feels now. Not sure how much I actually /need/ the armor, but at the very least it *is* intimidating."

    She blinks at Mercy's warning. "Why would I tease you about the scars?" she says, genuinely baffled. "They're a mark of survival, and aren't anything to be ashamed of. If I /could/ scar I'd literally be covered in them head to toe."

    She chuckles as she starts the shower. "I've seen skinny people eat. They're always able to pack down much more than what people expect."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "I don't know how to really relate to that exactly. The whole adjusting to a new form that I wasn't born with." She slips down out of her clothes to put them all into her locker as she gets out some showering stuff. "I wasn't being seriously, Jen. I doubt you'd tease anyone who doesn't deserve it. I just get self conscious around so much pretty."
    Mercy does have some scars on her left buttcheek area. She's got a bunch of smaller ones all around. The shorter woman follows Jen into the showers as she looks to see how hot it is. She likes her showers pretty hot as well. "I always been a big eater, and glad that I don't have to stress gaining wait most times. Not with how much I run at least."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer lets out a chuckle, "It was a struggle at first, and a bit frightening. I thought I was going to be like my cousin, triggered by fear and anger, but after the first few weeks of it, I started to realize that I was in control of it rather than the other way around."

    "After that it started being... kind of fun," she admits. "She-Hulk was everything I was not. Tall, gorgeous, strong, confident." She grins at Marcie, "Even Bulletproof. That's how I got into this mess in the first place. I also kept all the things I /did/ like about myself, like being smart. After a while I just kind of became She-Hulk full time, only going back to plain old Jennifer Walters when necessary."

    She chuckles as she gives Marcy a quick once-over and shrugs. "You're pretty enough as it is," she says. "If somebody can't get over the scars, then they aren't worth your time to begin with."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    Mercy can't help but glances over at Jen's big green body as Jennifer describes it. "I can see why. Tall, amazing figure and near invulnerable has to help with all that." Mercy starts to undo the big thick braids she has, the hair growing about six inches or more from being let out of the robe corded braids she had.
    She looks at her own butt a bit and says, "Farmer took a shot at me with a rifle. Worried I was going to eat his chickens or something. Tagged me with a lucky shot." Jennifer will get a clear view of the paw print just under her navel on her tummy. Someone who knows their animals will know it as a coyote, others may think it is a wolf or dog. Mercy leans back to get her hair wet and has to really wait to get it soaked through. "How the hell do you find clothes," she asks like that?

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer laughs at the question. "That's the big downside to all this. My wardrobe budget is /huge/. I have to get most of what I wear custom made, and even then I can't tell you how many times it's been shredded because I got caught up in battle when I'm not in uniform. I've got a closet full of the same pantsuit because I go through those very quickly."

    "Eat his chickens?" Jen asks with a quirk of her eyebrows as she soaps up. "You mean steal them?"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "That's why I love my job. Since I have just coveralls to wear for most my work. Mercy gives her hair a shake it out as she reaches for a course loofa to scrub a bit. She smiles wide at Jen showing her teeth. "No. I didn't speak wrong. I meant eat. He fired his gun at me, caught me right on the ass as I was running along his farm's property."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer gives Mercy another, more critical once over, eyes drifting to her tattoo. Wheels spin in her brain as she rinses herself off. "Werewolf?" she asks, a reminder that inside that stunning She-Hulk body is the mind of a crafty lawyer. "That would explain why a farmer would shoot first and ask questions later."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "I was raised by them but no. I am not a werewolf." She starts to wash up her hair as she keeps getting herself cleaner. Jen may notice that Mercy really scrubs at her hands. "No I was born the way I am Jen. I have eaten chicken before, but so have you I bet." Mercy will rinse her face a bit and says, "Do you want to figure or guess or do I just tell you?"

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    "Well, I haven't eaten any /raw/," Jen says as she turns the shower off. "I would say either a fox or a coyote, then. I mean, I've never heard of any, but it really doesn't surprise me that they would exist. She steps out of the shower area to dry herself off. It takes no less than three towels to do. One for her hair and two for her body.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "I imagine a lawyer is good at remembering symbols and checking up on evidence." With that Mercy will start to rinse off and lets Jen get a good look. If Jen focuses she can see the 'center' paw bad has a clear sort of W shape instead of a V like a wolf does. "I am part Native American Jen, I was born with this from my native father's side. And I am a lot less squeamish about raw food because of it. Hopefully that's not a problem." Once rinsed off she will turn the shower off.

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer isn't an expert on lupine biology so the difference in the tattoo doesn't really mean much to her. Instead she just chuckles. "Have you /seen/ the people I hang out with? I'm an Avenger. We have all types. One of my best friends is more cat than human. If she could get away with it she'd run around naked all the time."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "Oh? Who's that? I'm not really in the 'superhero' world so much." She starts to wrap up a towel as she gets out of her locker. Glancing toward Jen, Mercy's eyes flick to a different spot and she stiffen and then pointedly makes a lot more eye contact with Jen. "Growing up like I do and with werewolves you really loose most body shyness. But that's why I said no metal armor. It's trap me when I change and maybe be a fatal mistake."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    "Tigra," Jennifer says with a grin. "I've known her for a while. We often get up to a lot of shenanigans if we're left to our own devices." She catches the glance, and her cheeks darken.

    "Makes sense," she says. "I'm sure that the Amazons will make sure to teach you how to fight without armor. After all, you never know when you'll be called to fight, and you don't always have time to strap your armor on. "

Mercy Thompson has posed:
    "I wonder how like a tiger she smells, I assume she is a tiger." Mercy smiles as she tries to not make it weird. "Sorry. My life is strange." She pulls on a fresh search after a bra is pulled on and it says 'Trust me I get weirder the longer you know me,' on it. "I was staring at you to not notice something else." She is getting dressed, "I'm not bad in a scrap. I'm also not one to leave a friend in a bind."

Jennifer Walters has posed:
    Jennifer chuckles. "What gave it away? I don't know how to describe how she smells. A bit musky, but not unpleasantly, according to my nose. Maybe a little spicy? I'm sure you'd have better language for it if you ever did get to smell her."

    She nods and with another chuckle says, "/Trust/ me. I know what it's like having a strange life. I'm a magnet for that kind of thing. If I had a nickel for every time somebody abducted me to become their bride I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it's happened twice, right?"

    After pulling some normal streetwear on she says, "C'mon. I know this hole-in-the-wall Korean place that's much better than you'd expect. I hope you like spicy."