13407/How To Punch Without Murdering

How To Punch Without Murdering
Date of Scene:	21 November 2022
Location:	The Danger Room - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	While working on control in the danger room, Crush gets a chance to meet Nightwing, and accepts some advice (really, she doesn't punch him or anything!).
Cast of Characters:	Xiomara Rojas, Dick Grayson

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Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Since September and the start of Crushes final year of school, she had in fact developed a daily routine that was proving to be extremely helpful. Weekdays she attended classes at Happy Harbor, most of which weren't required, just the one more year of English for her diploma. In the evenings on Monday, Wednesday's and Fridays, she would visit the tower danger room, just as she did after work on Saturday and Sundays.

Most Titans likely didn't need as much time in the danger room as she did, but then they all seemed to have worked out their abilities and talents. For Crush, she was still working on how to punch a human without killing them. Slowly, day by day, she was learning how to pull her extraordinary strength just as Superman had suggested. That finesse that was needed to not out right murder a human, while still subduing them.

Sunday night was no different, she found herself dressed in a pair of sweat pants with tank top, working carefully down a line of computer generated humans. Jabs, cross, hooks, and uppercuts taken from boxing, then a few martial arts strikes with her hands and feet, all while attempting to keep from removing heads or launching the imitation person through the imaginary brick wall five feet behind them.

Dick Grayson has posed:
As of late, Dick was almost a stranger to the Tower. Between wedding plans, his detective job and patrolling Gotham as Nightwing, he rarely left the city anymore. Knowing he was letting down one team at least, he had made his way over to the Tower this night. As always, he's in the Nightwing suit since most Titans don't know his identity. Finding nobody in the main room, he's started wandering the halls to see if anyone is around.

    Seeing that the danger room is in use, he opens the door and steps inside to see who is working out at this hour. Xiomara isn't a familiar face, but that doesn't faze him since he has been away for so long. He just leans against the wall beside the door for a minute, watching what she's working on. When a pause in the careful bashing comes around, he says "Not too bad. Learning control, I take it? A lot of the strength folks tend to need some serious work on not breaking things."

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Focus, concentration, attention to detail, Crush wasn't expecting anyone to come visiting so when the door opened, her brain registered someone had entered. One more punch, a little too much power in it sends the pretend human back those five feet to the wall, but not through it.

The voice was unfamiliar, but then she didn't know most of the Titans. Turning slightly to look at the costumed man, it takes every single ounce of willpower not to laugh her ass off, but a broad, highly amused grin spreads across her pale skinned face.

"Got it in one," she comments through the grin, licking her naturally black lips before adding. "I'm still tryin to understand the point of it all, but Superman said it's required for a hero not to kill less they have to... so here I am, punchin imaginary people."

Dick Grayson has posed:
    "Yeah, as a group, heroes try not to kill too many people. It's one of the reasons we're generally accepted even though technically we all fall under the 'vigilante' heading. I'm Nightwing, afraid I haven't been around much lately so I don't know you. Life's been really busy, so I haven't been getting over here as much as I should."

    He crosses his arms and says, "Don't let me stop you, I might even be able to give a few tips here and there. Show me what you're working on."

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
And now... the fine line. Crush was still adjusting to the world around her. To being accepted by people for what she was, an alien, rather than the constant abuse she used to receive on the streets. She was still working on her social skills, the ability to be herself, talk freely and not have a nagging voice expecting some sort of violence or retaliation for just existing. Honestly, it was exhausting.

"Nightwing," she repeats, mostly to keep herself from snorting at him but partly to remind herself that most heroes take on an alias. "Interestin choice, given I don't see no wings." Another grin, broad across her face, playful really, and then she adds, "I'm Crush."

That said she turns back to the line of humans, both men and woman of various sizes, from tall to short, fat and skinny, and everything in between. The only way to learn was to keep it as close to real as possible, even if they were all just some trick of light.

"I been street fightin most of my life, well... six years anyway," she explains, before taking an even breath. "Want ta see what happens when I don't pull my strength?"

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Nightwing nods, "Actually, yes. Always good to know the most you can do so everyone knows if you can handle a situation or not. Like me.. I'm baseline human, so I rely on armor, agility and any number of technological toys. I know not to go toe-to-toe with the heavy hitters if I can avoid it. Better to pick them off from the shadows and not give them the chance to punch me through a wall."

    He remains leaning against the wall and gestures at the 'people' the room has created. "Go for it, let's see what you've got."

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Now Crushes grin goes almost wicked because it has been weeks since she actually just let go and punched something. She used to spend time in underground fighting rings, that was how she worked out all the Czarnian anger, but it never worked to keep her temper fully in check.

"Okay," she sort of snorts, looking down the line of fake humans. "Let me start with this..."

The human body had limits to how much damage it could take before simply crumpling, exploding, or going flying. Walking over to the console, she enters a few adjustments in. "Human body can't take it, an ya don't need ta see me punch my hand /through/ any of em, so... toughin a couple up ta meta-human."

That explained and done, she walks over to the one that shimmered slightly from the adjustments, then started doing this sort of bounce on the ball of his feet. Uppercut, not full power, but enough to send the adjusted human up into the air nearly ten feet before he cam falling back down. "I'm uh... on par with Superman," she finally says just as the splat is heard from the man hitting the ground. "That still ain't full on, cause even meta-human's got physical limits."

Dick Grayson has posed:
    He nods with a small smile. "Nice. You should look into sparring with Supergirl or Donna sometime, either one could probably give you a serious workout and everyone would survive. Are you as tough as you are strong? I've known a few heroes who couldn't take the kind of hits they could put out. Always good to know who should be on the front line and who could use a wall in front of them."

    He gestures back at the constructs she's got set up, "Keep going, let's get a good idea of your powers and your skills with them."

Xiomara Rojas has posed:
Crush begins punching again, though this time is it with more force than she would normally assert, but still scaled back from her full ability. The constructs just couldn't handle her full strength, and she really wasn't interested in make believe blood on her tank top.

"The cat... shit, what's his name," she pauses before punching the next one, which was set up to start out by trying to strike her, so instead of punching as the construct steps in to punch her she just shoves it away... far away... as in through the brick wall. "Terry! Yeah, that's it... anyway, he suggested Donna, no idea about Supergirl, never met her."

And back to punching. "I'm Czarnian, alien, similar ta Kryptonians," she continues as she gets back into it, and now the constructs are attempting to fight back. This allows her to show that she doesn't have to be a great dodger or avoid the hits, she can take them to give out more. "Most times bullets bounce off me, knives can't cut me, etc., then sometimes, got no idea why, I do get hurt and regenerate in seconds. I personally think it happens to keep me on my toes."

Dick Grayson has posed:
    Nightwing chuckles, "Geez, I'm starting to feel obsolete here. Between the Amazons, our own resident Kryptonians and now you, there's not much call for a guy with tasers and tranq darts. Still, I can usually find something to help most situations. Most people have some kind of weakness, and I'm usually pretty good at finding those. I'm not bad with tactics either, so often if we go in as a group, I can plan out the battle to make things easier."

    He pushes off the wall and gives a little wave, "I'll let you get back to your workout, you have a good night." He slips back out the door as quietly as he had come in.