3153/Day One - Orientation

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Day One - Orientation
Date of Scene: 29 August 2020
Location: Thea Queen's Studio Apartment in SoHo
Synopsis: Slade Wilson finds a recovered Thea, and lays down some of the ground rules and curriculum for his training.
Cast of Characters: Slade Wilson, Thea Queen




Slade Wilson has posed:
Slade Wilson arrives relatively early in the morning, but not "butt crack of dawn" early. Not today anyway. There's not a lot on the agenda today, mostly because it's more of a "check to make sure if Thea is still alive and/or out of detox" sort of day. So it's about 8:00 AM when the knock comes at Thea's door, and a fairly casually-dressed Slade stands behind it, with no visible weapons and arms dangling at his side. Not that Thea likely sees given that eyelet is still annoyingly high.

Thea Queen has posed:
If it weren't for the fact that it's not //her// place, Thea would have had that door replaced. Is that peephole placed for anyone's height? Really?

Still, it does take Thea a couple of moments more; she's been sleeping in, and in her social sphere? 8 am IS butt-crack of dawn.

Still, there's some mumbling that can be heard behind the door as Thea pads across the short distance to catch the door. She still tries, bless her soul, to look through the little view-finder thing, but gives up. One lock, two are unlatched, and opening the door slightly, the chain is still in place. Behind the door, however, is a slightly leaner Thea face; she's lost a little weight, but one that looks a whole lot less strung out and a whole lot more.. normal? She even has a little pink tone to her face, her cheeks. Her hair is unkempt, but clean.

"Hold on--" comes at the same time as the chain is swiped off it's track, and Thea opens the door wider to allow Slade entrance. "Good morning."

Slade Wilson has posed:
"Good morning, Miss Queen, Looks like you're still alive." Slade comments, his tone not overtly humorous, but not completely cold, either. "So I assume you've had enough time to think things over?" Never really one to waste time, Slade. He steps into the apartment, at least a few feet, and studies Thea more closely. Though if he sees anything that gives him pause, he gives no real sign of it. "Last chance to back out."

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea's dressed in loungewear pants, a tartan sort of weave, her top is more sportsbra than midriff, but it's fashionable and worn on the streets as is! The door is closed behind him, and taking a couple of slow, barefooted steps in, she stops in front of him. One hand runs fingers through unbrushed hair, pulling it up and away from her eyes, only to have it flop down again, but her hand drops again in the action. There's a touch of determination in those eyes, on that clear face, and she shake her head first to underscore what comes next,

"I'm not backing out. I've thought about it. I went out last night, and.. I need help." She didn't drink, however.. or anything else, though the card for the nightclub 'Lux' is stashed on her backpack for later.

Slade Wilson has posed:
"Is what I'm offering the kind of help you need?" Slade asks, canting his head curiously, "I'm no shrink, and my track record with people isn't anything to brag about." He shrugs, "I'll teach you to fight, and to survive. What you do with those skills afterwards? Not my business. Keep 'em in your back pocket for when someone comes after you because of something your brother or your biological father did. Or for manhandling idiots at your club. Play vigilante with your brother, run off and become a mercenary for hire...." He shrugs, "Up to you, don't care. My job isn't to tell you what your destination is. But I can show you some paths that'll take you to the different possibilities."

"It's going to be hard. You're going to fight, and you're going to lose. Often. In fact you might never win, but it doesn't matter. What matters is you keep fighting, and keep pushing. And if you DO manage to win one over on me then I'll think of some suitable reward for the achievement." He pauses but a half-moment and adds, "Not all the training will be local. We'll travel from time to time, sometimes up to a few weeks, maybe longer. I would prefer you inform your brother and father when we're taking these excursions, but I won't force you. I will be honest about the training if they approach and ask me about it, because the last thing I need is the two of them breathing down my neck even more than they already will be if they're being kept in the dark."

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea listens carefully to the words, keen blue eyes looking up at Slade's eye-patched face, her jaw tightening in resolve. Her head bobs once, twice in understanding and acknowledgment, though there's a flicker of.. something as he mentions that she will lose, and maybe never win. That, however, just fills her with that need to do more, to do better.. and to try harder. None of that's said, however.

Words aren't good enough. Promises can be empty and hollow.

"I'll tell them, but.. I don't want to be thinking about them, wondering when I'll call them again." When she travels, that is.

"I want this. I need this. This is something that.." and she pauses before she settles in again, her expression earnest, "I can't do or be anything else. This is it, and if I fail, it really doesn't matter what happens." There's a resoluteness to her manner, the way she stands before him, and she nods again, "I want this," is repeated.

Slade Wilson has posed:
"I'm not saying you have to call them and give them daily updates and tell them you wish they were here. I just don't want them showing up in the middle of things thinking I've kidnapped you." There's a tiny touch of wry to his tone, but only just. "So...I have questions. The bow. Attached to it? Does it work for you? Something you want to continue or something you can take or leave?"

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea tries not to laugh but the smile lines her face at the response. It's the next question that comes up that brings her head canting to the side, and a hand comes up to tuck hair behind an ear. "I learned how to use a bow and a couple of swords." She wrinkles her nose and continues, "Kinda hard to carry swords around, though I suppose the same thing could be said about bows. Nice thing about them, though? As long as I can keep a distance with it, I'm good. Swords are a little more close up." And personal.

"I'm not a bad shot, in that I could give Ollie a run for his money." There's the slightly self-deprecating expression that rises when she considers swords and sword play, and she adds, "Ollie taught me the swords."

Slade Wilson has posed:
"Give him a run for his money in practice or in actual combat? Because the former is a lot different than the latter, but in either case it sounds like something you should stick with." He continues, still watching her intently, "What kind of swords? And you're right. Swords are a killing weapon...they don't have a stun setting, or at least most of them don't. You want to wield swords? You need to be prepared for the consequences of that. But swords I can teach. Better than most. What else do you WANT to learn? And don't say "everything" because while I could probably make you half-assed at everything it'd likely mean you're good at nothing. You'll still get familiarity, but you'll specialize in no more than three, and it sounds like the Bow is choice #1. You don't have to choose right now on the other two...you can wait until you get that familiarity, but you will eventually have to choose."

He adds after a moment, "And unarmed doesn't count, either, you're getting that regardless."

Thea Queen has posed:
"I've used the bow before away from the range," Thea admits. "You're not starting with someone who doesn't know anything," rises to her defense, though. "I mean, I'll admit that most of that was self-taught after the butts, but I can run and shoot accurately, sit, perch.. lay down a grapple.." Though it does sound like bows are first.

"I.. I need work on swords. I'm told I lean in to far. I put myself out there without having a place to go." Too far in, too offbalance. "But what I really want, too?" Given the night she had previously, Thea looks at her perhaps soon to be trainer, "How to improvise when I don't have any of my stuff around me. I don't want to have to //rely// on my carrying my quiver, or an arrow, or... or a sword. I want to learn to be good with them, yes.. and I know you can teach me. But if I'm alone and I don't have that?"

Sticks and stones for the win?

Slade Wilson has posed:
"Improvised weaponry? Little more difficult, but that can be done. Still, hand-to-hand will make sure you're never really unarmed, either." Slade comments, "And swords we can work on, unless you'd rather switch to knives, but either way it sounds like there's some work to be done, there. Mostly with your footwork, which will help with a lot of other things, as well." Slade chuckles, though there's...almost a hint of a bitter edge to it, "Hope you like dancing."

Thea Queen has posed:
Thea nods in the promised attempt to teach her. The thought of knives, though.. and she narrows blue eyes as she considers before, "I have a feeling you're going to see what I know with swords, and I'll let you determine if knives would be better? I'm not against the idea, but, as you said, if I try and learn everything, I'll suck at all of them." She's more than aware of that.

It's the footwork that even she is aware of that needs work. She hasn't worked out lately, at all, hasn't gone running, hasn't been in a sparring ring, nothing. Not since she'd started work on the club, or, rather, since she'd lost her way.

Her head tilts again and takes a breath before, "I love dancing," comes with a ghosted smile, but her tones drop a little wryly, "Got all the lessons, too. But I'm guessing you're not talking about a waltz." Probably more like a mosh pit.

Slade Wilson has posed:
"All kinds of varieties, really. Good for footwork, situational awareness, and anticipating someone else's movements, to an extent. Not going to be the bulk of training but it's a place to start." Slade replies, perhaps a bit surprisingly. Even more so with the later addition, "Something my ex-wife taught me." He moves to find a chair, still obviously calculating in his head. He's silent a few moments before he notes, "All right. We start in earnest tomorrow evening. An associate of mine will arrive at twilight with instructions. And we'll see how well you keep up." He adds, "Rest up. Eat well. You'll need it."

Thea Queen has posed:
Ex-wife? Thea watches as he crosses the small distance to a chair, and she follows slowly, still studying him now. A little more learned about the man before, "I didn't like square dancing." She tries to keep it light for a moment, but it looks like she could be sizing him up as a dance partner?

How strange has her life become?

Her expression settles into something more natural, less on-call, on edge, less focussed for the moment. It's a natural Thea moment when she nods. She takes a softly audible breath in before she nods in the exhale. "Proteins. Stay away from the carbs. But I have to have my latte." Until then, though?

"Thank you for doing this."

Now she's free to make some breakfast, though the latte will have to be gotten from down the block, and later. Soon enough, the apartment smells like scrambled eggs and bacon. It IS early, after all.

Slade Wilson has posed:
"Don't worry, you'll be cursing me before long." Slade says quite matter-of-factly, sounding quite serious about the notion. He doesn't linger though, rising from the chair after a short while, and apparently leaving Thea to her breakfast. "Tomorrow then." He notes by way of farewell, and sees himself out.