13554/Knocking off the rust

Knocking off the rust
Date of Scene:	11 December 2022
Location:	Training Facility - Historic Clocktower
Synopsis:	Harper and Helena get some training time in at the Clocktower
Cast of Characters:	Helena Bertinelli, Harper Row

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Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Saturday nights are usually for spending time with friends, partying, or as a song says, all right for fighting.

Tonight, most of the Birds are out patrolling or other assignments so the Tower is quiet which suits Helena. She has set up shop on the training level. Choosing to forgo her full Huntress armor, she wears a loose yoga top over a sports bra and form fitting yoga pants with cross trainers. She does wear her weapons harness, her staff secured to her thigh as well as her crossbows.

Stepping back from a mannequin at the end of a target and obstacle course she's set for herself, Helena walks over to a side table and takes a sip from a water bottle. Letting out a slow sigh as she focuses, Helena walks over to where she intends to begin this little training session.

Tapping her smart watch, Helena breaks into a sprint then performs a tumbling roll. Popping up, her staff extends in hand and she delivers a double blow to one of the training dummies followed by a leg sweep. A backward flip moves her into position for her next attack, raising one crossbow to unleash three bolts at a target barely nine inches in diameter.

Harper Row has posed:
There's little chance Bluebird would arrive unnoticed, but she does keep quiet as she passes the threshold of the training room. What she witnesses isn't the whole deal, walking in as Helena has already begun her routine.

Towel slung over her shoulders and clutched in two hands, she's freshly changed into her own workout attire: Sans Bluebird outfit and mask, wearing just grey sweatpants, white trainers, and a tight black tanktop with built in support. Her hair is a bit messy, having been finger-combed back after a quick rinse in the shower. The only thing equipped would be the Mp3 player and the spaghetti-tangled cords leading to earbuds.

"Holy bejeezus..." she exclaims and saws at the back of her neck with a little up and down with the ends of her clutched towel. She blinks rapidly, tilting her head as if this would allow a better angle from which to see the bunching of bolts into the target Helena has chosen. "Third time's the charm as they say."

Harper moves further inside the room, coming on over to Helena, giving her a wide berth if she's not done executing more amazing movements. Just watching her do her thing makes Harper feel a bit clumsier.

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Helena Bertinelli may know that she has an audience but she doesn't break focus. After the bolts are launched, she spins in, using the grip of her crossbow to strike at the next training dummy, following through with two quick kicks.

Relaxing, she breathes out slowly, holstering her crossbow and lowering her staff. She turns toward Harper and smiles. "Harper."

Reaching to her watch, she checks her timing and taps a few times before reaching up to remove her earbuds. She's come to appreciate wireless when it comes to training time apparently.

"Good to see you. How're you doing?"

Harper Row has posed:
Harper offers what she thinks is a wry smile. Her eyes are all alight. "Better." She steps from one foot to the other, looking like she'll be asking for an autograph next. The towel is unslung and she faux whip-cracks in the training dummy's direction, like a dork. "Better than this creep."

"I've been away too long and needed to remind the place what I look like. Truth be told, I'm hella rusty. And it seemed pretty quiet tonight, and less chance of embarrassment when I face-first into something." She sucks in air past her teeth after a little self-deprecation and swishes her towel around. "Did you need the room? I...I could totally come back later if you wanna lay the hurt on the place in private."

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Helena Bertinelli smiles, "Better is good." Laughing at the towel snap, she nods. "Yes. These creeps get what they deserve every workout" she agrees.

Walking back over to take a sip of water, she glances back, "Mm? Oh no. There's more than enough space for you. I don't need the whole floor, nope." She smiles. "You're welcome to work out. I won't get in your way unless you'd like a training partner to ease back into things. I know what it's like to be off for a while and try to get back into the routine. Even a day off from training and I can feel the difference."

Harper Row has posed:
Harper purses her lips, dimpling the corner of her mouth as she muses on darts in the middle of her forehead. A hand comes up to rake back her hair unnecessarily. "Well...I mean, I haven't had a partner in awhile."

A small frown as she does a quick assessment of herself, and then an internal bit of jousting on telling herself not to shoot herself so quickly in the foot. She takes in a deep breath and blows it out. "I'd like to ease into things, and if you don't mind, yeah, a training partner." She eyeballs your gear with greedy peepers. "It seems every time I've had an issue, out there..." she waggles her eyebrows. "...It's always stay back and stay ranged. Bad instincts, or good instincts, but it isn't helping me be...flexible, right? In case it had to come down to a little hand-to-hand. I've heard talk on the side you learned things to be as ungentle as possible. Sort of...final. Sort of...lights out for good."

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Helena Bertinelli smiles. "Well I'm here to help. It's part of what we do. We look after each other."

Walking over holding her water bottle, she pauses to wrest free the three practice bolts from the target. Glancing back. she nods, "Yes. I trained to kill. It was what I was focused on for.. a long time." She walks back, reloading the crossbow's clip and holstering it again. "It's the only thing I felt the hitmen who killed my family deserved."

Sipping at her water again, she joins Harper and shakes her head, "But vengeance or revenge to the point of killing? It's not what we do here. Barbara showed me that we can still make them suffer without killing them. Sometimes they suffer more." She smiles. "So, yeah. I fight hard, maybe use some more violent take downs. But the Birds don't kill. That includes me."

Harper Row has posed:
Harper twists up her towel, worrying it into a tight curl as she fidgets. She chews at her bottom lip as she listens. By the look on her face, killing seems to be an abhorrent thing, and she winces. There's obvious relief when Helena essentially confirms that things are different. However, there's still a bit of fascination, of speaking with someone who is that deadly, and has dispatched others.

"That must be challenging. To pull back, if, y'know, it was such a big focus back in the past. Hopefully I become good enough to be able to make 'em suffer, and be able to go just far enough. Could you show me a few things? It's okay if hard, or hard on me, I just want to be better."

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Helena Bertinelli smiles. "It wasn't something I'm proud of. But.." She looks distant for a moment. "Seeing my family killed." She shrugs. "For a life, a life. It's the way of the Mafia and what I grew up learning. Until I came back to Gotham. Batman.. and to more of a degree, Barbara, showed me there is a better way. So. Yeah. I'm not proud of it. I don't suppose I entirely regret it even now. But it isn't something I choose to do any longer. That Hnutress.. isn't who I am, now."

"You're a Bird, Harper. If the invitation is given, it means you're already good enough. We can each train to be better. But don't sell yourself short. The fact you're on the team says it all." She smiles. "So. Have you warmed up already? What do you want to focus on? Defense? Offense?"

Harper Row has posed:
Harper looks grateful for the words of encouragement. Her smile is warmer, puckish, with some of the old bravado creeping back in. "I think so. My bike is in the shop, so the way over here gave me the opportunity and then some." The gremlin girl wads up her towel loosely and sends it over to sling over some parallel bars to free up her hands.

A little rolling of shoulder and shaking out of her hands and she's getting all loosey goosey. "Offense. I wanna get in there quick or dirty, and make 'em react more than the flipside. Like what you'd do. The best defense is a good offense, right?"

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Helena Bertinelli smiles. "Usually. But it's still critical to be able to defend yourself from someone else's offense. Much as we might like, sometimes we have to fight defensively."

With a nod, she walks over to one of the training dummies. "So. Show me what you've got. Show me how you'd take down this dangerous training dummy criminal. He's said bad words about your friends. Make him regret it." The playful smile on her lips suggests she's relaxed, but the focus in her gaze shows she's paying attention.

Harper Row has posed:
Harper raises her eyebrows. "Did they now?" Her elaborate demeanor of being aghast is short lived, as she squares up on the practice dummy. She's all play acting at first, because she's a goof sometimes, but then she starts to shed it. Harper gets serious, and squints, setting her jaw.

Turning her body to present her left side, using that arm as a guard, her right held back. The definition on her bare shoulders become more pronounced. Favouring that left leg more than her right. Hands clenching and then relaxing a tad. When she comes at the dummy, it's a telegraphed jab feint with her left hand before giving the dummy a knuckle-sammich twice, and then bringing her knee up into it for a single WHUD, and a grunt from herself. She's coming back off it and for a last bit of just-in-case, uses an elbow upside its faux-head and a snarl.

Helena Bertinelli has posed:
Helena Bertinelli watches each move from the beginning to the follow through at the end. She nods. "It's a good series of strikes. But you're favoring your left leg. Is that because you're still recovering?" she wonders. "You'll have more leverage for your strikes if you keep your elbow a little higher. Like this." She shifts position to the stance Harper had used and demonstrates. A quick strike to follow through to convey her advice. "Like that. See?"