5080/Pain does not exist in this dojo!

Pain does not exist in this dojo!
Date of Scene:	08 February 2021
Location:	Chikara Dojo
Synopsis:	Ghost Spider goes to Chikara dojo to learn how to punch. Colleen applies teaching. It's super effective!
Cast of Characters:	Gwen Stacy, Colleen Wing

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Gwen Stacy has posed:
It's hard to properly care about learning to fight when you first gain your powers at 14. Specially as they enabled Gwen to be quite the formidable fighter with minimum effort. And besides, she had been sooooo worried about her media profile, managing her brand, becoming a very known hero in the world that actual fighting had been relegated to second plan.

At least in the universe she came from.

Here it was different. The weight of having killed her best friend was still heavy on her, and she had a new sense of responsibility. Besides, she knew the joke was still very much real, she couldn't throw a proper punch. Normally just letting her overwhelming strength and agility drag her through.

It had to change so tonight she found herself swinging across Chinatown towards a certain dojo. One she had heard referred as quite a good one, and also discreet. She could use discreet..

Earbuds were on, blasting to the sound of a certain soundtrack of many eons ago. But she needed the prep.., or maybe the motivation.

"You are the best around ..., nothing's gonna ever...~" she humming quietly along with the song, landing right outside Colleen's dojo window with a light 'plop'.

Masked face goes closer to the window, upside down of course as a proper spider does, leaaanniinnng in.

Colleen Wing has posed:
    Colleen had been progressing to higher and higher level of paranoia of late. Whether it's because of the werewolves, or the vampires, or Bakuto.. or may be all three. Her hands are wrapped and she's in her black gi punching a bag when she hears the unusual sound. She rolls across the floor and blows out the candle illuminating the inside of her dojo and moves up against the wall.

    Now she waits, even as the punching bag swings indicating someone was just using it and the candle wafts smoke up indicating it was just put out. She peeks her head around the corner just a touch and sees someone at the window.. upside down. Probably The Hand. Her eyes caste across to her sword and she wonders why the heck she didn't factor its position in to her plan. Elektra would be disappointed.

    "Tell Bakuto I'm not interested!," she calls out to what she assumes is a messenger come to deliver some physical truths to her about how no one ever leaves The Hand. "Whatever it is if he wants to talk, he can come himself, through the front door!"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Ah, the front door... A long lost art of entering places that Ghost Spider had forgotten a long time ago.. Windows are so much more convenient! The masked head turns one side, then the other, the hood perhaps familiar from the news, along with the white mask with the pink rims on the eyes...

"Bakuto..?" the voice replies, lowering the volume on her earbuds and sliding the door up just a touch, "Did I just wander in the middle of some boyfriend drama or ..?" the window is slide open a little and the head fully slides in. Just the head though!

"I am Ghost Spider, can I come in..?" a pause and she sounds apologetic. "I should had used the front door but uh, I haven't used those in a long while. It's become part of my brand."

Colleen Wing has posed:
    Colleen does a double take as she hears a voice that is definitely not one of the Hand, or Bakuto, or Elektra trying to give her a lesson in preparedness. A finger hits the light switch and the dojo illuminates. She steps out in to the matted area and peers in surprise at Ghost Spider.

    "You're... Ghost Spider," she repeats in surprise. First she meets a dragon and an X-Men and now Ghost Spider. What is it with her dojo and attracting the more unique percentage of society. She lets out a surprised half laugh and says, "Yes. You can come in."

    "No, not a boyfriend. I thought you were someone else. It doesn't matter. Are you okay? can I get you anything?" empty carton of 2 minute noodles perhaps? Colleen is not exactly know for having much. "Water?" She makes her second wrong assumption of the night and assumes this Spider is in the midst of fighting crime.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
The invite to come in makes it so the head that was already popping inside the dojo to be followed by the rest of her body, slim and fit under that tight-fitting suit, black and white. The ballerina shoes do make her differ a lot from the Spiderman look though.. "Thank you." she replies, twisting and putting one foot on the ground, then the other. She closes the window behind her.

"I am good." She says, raising her hands up a touch as if stating she doesn't need anything. Or at least nothing of the eating variety! "You are .., Colleen, right? I saw some of your fliers out there, this is your dojo, isn't it?" the masked face looking around slowly. Discreet, quaint. Perhaps just what she needed.

"I was hoping you would be able to teach me a few moves." Then perhaps thinking about payment for the first part she adds a bit hesitantly. "I can pay you." not much though!

Colleen Wing has posed:
    Colleen rubs at the back of her neck and watches her slip in to her dojo. She's never seen a Spider-person up close before. This is new for her. Only on news footage. New York loves its spider-fam. "Yes I'm Colleen wing. This is my dojo," she confirms with a nod and looks at her with slight puzzlement. "Show you a few moves? But you're Ghost Spider..."

    The idea that she'd be paid, however, is always appreciated. "I don't know what I can teach someone like you but I'd be happy to try. Tell me, exactly, what it is that's troubling you and we can focus on that?"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Well..." And Ghost Spider brings one hand up to rub at the back of her neck, considering on what's troubling her... Maybe it would had been easier to ask what's NOT troubling her. She gives it a thought, mmm'ing and then finally speaks up. "Well.., everything? But I would be happy to just learn on how to properly throw a proper punch." she says.

Sure, agility is all good and so. Lots of raw potential! But without the technique to go along she wouldn't be able to get to that next step! She moves further into the dojo, steps light and graceful, eyeing that various punching bags. "I never really learned to fight." she admits, the voice under that mask sounding perhaps even younger than Colleen's.

Colleen Wing has posed:
    Colleen takes a moment to consider that a Spider-person, Ghost Spider, is asking her to teach her how to punch. A genuine hero of New York - just like the Defenders. "Uh... r- right," she says as she recovers her composure. "Right. I see.." She genuinely smiles. This is her wheel house and teaching someone who isn't going to turn to a life of crime and evil is what she needs.

    "Okay, I'll accept you as my student," she says and walks over to her, then gives her a small bow. "Punching, is not just about the arm. It is about precision, timing, coordination. The whole body is used," she explains and then approaches the same punching bag and says, "And there is tactics. A punch need not be about knocking somebody unconscious, but debilitating them from further combat. Disarm their mind from the notion that battle is preferable to surrender or fleeing."

    Colleen takes a regular Karate stance and motions to her hips and legs, "The body is like a coil, poised to strike when we wind it up, then let it loose. We transfer our energy up our legs, through our torso, down our arms - the conclusion of the fist is an after thought, like the tip of a whip cracking in the air."

    With a swift motion she punches the bag. It's fast and precise and the bag jumps away from her. The chain that hangs it from the ceiling rattles as it dances until the bag finds its swinging motion once more. "This is what we seek, that our body and mind is not caught in a single moment of a punch. We begin, though, with the tip of the whip - the hand. In your case, we begin with a fist." She holds hers up, "Thumb here, fingers here. Punch here," She catches the bag from swinging and taps the spot she hit.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
With Colleen accepting her as a student brings a Gwen-smile under that mask, "Great! I will make sure not to disappoint, sensei!" she may have been seeing some movies before coming here.. Is she expecting to sand the floor? Hopefully not..

She gives a bow in return to Colleen when the other woman does so, stepping aside of that punching bag but watching curiously while her new sensei gets to explain on how to punch. She nods at what Colleen says, tapping a fingertip over where her lips are supposed to be under the mask. She watches the karate posture, the explanation on how to properly punch..

"Hips and legs? Okay, I think I will remember that." a brief chuckle, "It will be a good change from all the marketing pieces focused on those legs and hips. At least they will feel useful.." a roll of her eyes and a sigh.

One hand is then brought up and she tries to mimic the formation of the fist. Some difficulty at first, it not feeling natural to her!

Colleen Wing has posed:
    Colleen motions down her leg, to her hips, up through her chest, to her arm and down to her fist. "See how there is a line that runs from the ground all the way to the fist. Our goal is to align our body through the punching motion to create this united inside our body. It is less about what we are hitting or how hard we are using our muscles and more about the zen we create within ourselves."

    She demonstrates a coiling motion and uncoiling from the feet through the legs and hips, through the torso and up through to the hand which finally ends up stroking the bag. She then does it in a fluid single motion and strikes the bag. It jumps back up from the force generated. "You try. Think about your body, not about the bag or your fist."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Opening and closing her hand Gwen tests it a few times with a bit of a furrowed brow under that mask. Clearly she is not used to going for a punch-out with someone. But then Colleen is motioning down her leg so she looks there, taking in the advice and teachings.

"Well, if you say so.." she nears the bag, testing a few times on the coiling/uncoiling. She puts her fist against the bag, then out, as if mimic'ing the way Colleen moves..

When eventually she does try to bring out the PAIN towards the bag it's .., a bit lame at best. Clearly no zen, or aligned body, her balance a touch off along with the power generated not being exactly the best.

Yes, Ghost Spider can't throw a punch!

"That went well!" she says, even if perhaps she doesn't truly believe it.

Colleen Wing has posed:
    She nods her head, "There's a lot that has to be coordinates together to make it work. So don't beat yourself up if you can't get it straight away. It's like... hmm," she pauses and approaches, placing her hands upon Gwen's shoulders. "It's like a classic judo throw. It's not about muscle, but the alignment within yourself."

    She smiles, "Prepare yourself, I'm going to throw you, then you will try and throw me -- without using your arm strength." The motion is swift and efficient, almost exactly like the punch, except with her arms touching Gwen all that power transfers through her upper body, twisting her in two directions at once to take away her balance and let her drop to the ground.

    Colleen motions to Gwen, "Okay now you try to throw me the same way. Then we will add the punch in to the body power generation."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
There's something to be said about spiders and landing on their feet. Like cats! So when Gwen is thrown over a shoulder she twirls and those ballerina shoes still touch the ground first before she does actually land with her back on the ground. It's all about the learning though, so she nods while still lying down on the ground, "And right, I think I get it." she tells the other with a nod..

She pushes herself up effortlessly from the ground, clapping her hands together and moving to stand in front of Colleen, hands on hips. "Okay then .." this is more her jam actually. Ghost Spider has a lot of experience throwing stuff around, or people, or even swinging about which is sort of just throwing herself.. So she moves in, thrusting her hip in against Colleen before using her body to try and flip the other woman over a shoulder and onto the mats.

This seems to be done with quite the more proficient manner than the punch! "Like this?"

Colleen Wing has posed:
    Colleen is thrown by Spider Gwen with seeming ease. She tucks and rolls back up ready to continue with little effort on her part. She nods her head, "Yes. Exactly like that. Now, let's go back to the punching bag and try to coordinate the rest of the motion. You know the fundamental - this is just a new application."

    She takes her stance before the bag and demonstrates the punch once more, making the bag go flying back. She motions to Gwen. "You can do this. This is a throw like the one you just did, but the person is just outside of throwing range. So instead, you will punch them."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Some sense of pride appears to come over Gwen when she is able to toss Colleen over, or at least in the way that colleen had showed her on how to do. Of course that the natural athleticism along with those powers she has do help a lot on having her be able to do it, but details. Still, it's something. "From throwing right back to punching, uh?" she comments, stepping back closer to the punching bag again..

She takes in a breath, a glance to Colleen and then the bag.. She closes her hand into a fist, putting it to the bag, then out. A few more motions as if memorizing the motions inside. Or perhaps wanting her body to instinctively memorize it.

When the punch comes it does seem a lot better, hips moving in that line alongside her body in a flowing motion, the punching bag rattling in place and threatening the hinges when she hits it squarely.

"Ahah! You are good at this." She comments, using one hand to stop the bag from swinging and grinning under her mask. "I knew it was the right decision coming here."

Colleen Wing has posed:
    Colleen smiles when Gwen is able to land a good punch on the bag. She nods her head, "You did well. Your.. Superhuman body is going to give you a lot of advantages. But getting the technique right will do a lot for your ability to fight. Your efficiency and power generation is not about your superpowers or your muscle strength."

    She says, "Feel free to practice on the bag. Don't focus on punching the bag, focus on the unity you're creating inside your body. While you practice I will be practicing with my sword. I'll keep an eye on your technique if you drift too far."

    She walks over to get a wooden sword from the wall, a bokken, and begins to practice a sequence of cuts off to the side so that Gwen has plenty of room to practice trying to punch the bag in a coordinated way. What Gwen can see though is the foundation for the sword cuts is.. once again.. the same.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"The problem is often that others I fight have the same kind of superhuman body.." Gwen states, one hand on a thrusted hip, "So it's important to have an advantage as you say." not that she minded the superhuman powers really. "And yes, I am starting to get that.." about the power generation.

"Do you fight superhuman threats? Or have you?" She questions, perhaps a bit curious about Colleen herself even as she turns to deliver a few more punches on the bag, this time more controlled, but also starting to perfect her own motions. If anything she seems to be a smart cookie, taking in the lessons and putting them to practice immediately.

Another look as Colleen goes through the bokken sequence, "You do put this theory in everything you do, mmm..?"

Colleen Wing has posed:
    Colleen's motions are fluid but powerful. There is little doubt that if she were holding a real sword she would be cutting through things with ease. She smirks a touch at the question though and says, "I have." She doesn't elaborate on it though. It's not really something to brag about after all.

    "This isn't theory, this is how the human body works. The facia between the skin and the muscles is what connects everything together. We use our muscles to move the fascia, rather than using our muscles to push or pull our bones about. It's subtle but powerful," she says though not delving in to a deeper lesson on it right now.

    "You'll feel it, if you turn your hips too much. If you allow your body to get twisted up, unaligned. All that power you're generating? it'll disappear. We only maintain power when our mind is in the place to preserve our body structure correctly."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
A nod is returned about how the body works, Gwen replying. "It's all one system in the end as you say, rather than the other way around." is what she comments, the spidery-one finishing on delivering a few more punches on the bag before stepping back to look at Colleen again.

"Thank you for the lesson." She then says, tipping a salute with a couple of fingers on the side of her head, "I will make sure to come by soon again." she promises. "And if you need me, you can reach me through my number which ..." and she looks around before spotting a pen and paper, moving to write it up on it. Yes, Gwen isn't the type to walk around with cards to give other people with her number and so!

"I am often enough around this area too so ..., it's just a matter of hopping up and swinging over a few buildings to get here." She tells the other woman.

Colleen Wing has posed:
    Colleen tucks the bokken in to her belt and regards Gwen for a little moment. She nods her head and says, "Well you are welcome to come here and train when you are able to. You're learning quickly, before long you'll be a martial arts expert." She smiles and folds her arms, noting the number written down. "I'm sure situations will arise.. New York is a tough place. Thank you Ghost Spider."