5909/Midnight Workout

Midnight Workout
Date of Scene:	11 April 2021
Location:	Grant's Gym - Amusement Mile
Synopsis:	Nico finds a place to work out, and makes a new friend.
Cast of Characters:	Nico Minoru, Dinah Lance

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Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico's been travelling quietly for awhile now. Trying to clear her head and get herself focused.

And while she's stopped a few muggings now and then, she's been burning up magic doing it, and she's started thinking maybe the reason all the bigger name heroes know how to throw a punch is because it's cheaper than their custom-shaped boomerangs, or fancypants robot suits.

And now the goth lurks her way through Gotham in the middle of the night, the darkness cloaking her as she makes her way, a scrap of yellow paper in her hand.

A gym seemed like the best place to learn how to throw a punch, and so she scavenged one of those rarest of things, a hardcopy phonebook at a payphone, and grabbed up the ad for Grant's gym.

She's a little shocked to see the lights on so late, and a silhouette of movement through the windows, but figures it's probably a good sign.

And so she finds herself rapping on the door with her knuckles, giving it a little extra oomph with her artificial arm to make sure it's heard, a long dark coat buttoned up from her throat to her slim thighs, though it's not enough to hide the spiderweb patterned stockings sheathing her legs, or the buckle-adorned, thick soled combat boots she's wearing out tonight.

She just hopes this isn't some sort of -crime- gym or something, given Gotham's rep back in NYC.

Dinah Lance has posed:
Between running a flower shop and her own hero schedule, Dinah Lance works out whenever she can. For her, it's not unusual to be at the gym at odd hours. It helps that Ted Grant is one of her adopted uncles, and has given her an open door policy.

With her bike parked around back, Dinah is working out in civvies... yoga pants and a sports bra, blonde hair in a ponytail. A glance into one of the windows would show her moving from a speed bag, which she works with casual proficiency, to one of the heavier bags to work on kicks.

The knock on the door causes her to stop immediately, all senses alert. Old habits. Deep breath, exhale. Dinah picks up a towel to dab the back of her neck. Snagging a water bottle, she takes a deep swig before opening the door. Just a crack.

Blue eyes give Nico a quick once-over, noting clothes and makeup and general demeanor. "You looking to work out or for a place to stay the night?" she begins.

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico's eyebrows pop up in surprise. Maybe it's at the sight of Dinah as she cracks the door open, maybe it's the fact she didn't really think about where she -was- going to stay the night. "Oh... uhh... yes? Kind of?"

She frowns thoughtfully, teeth capturing her dark painted lower lip for a moment as she draws a deep breath through her nose, "I mean, I'm looking for some training. Like... boxing I guess? Punching, really. You know, I just figured being stuckin one of those big dojos with a bunch of grade schoolers would be super weird, right?"

Because hitchhiking her way to Gotham and finding a gym in the middle of the night's way more normal.

She offers a shy little smile, contrasting the gloomy makeup and attire as she murmurs out, "I mean, I get if I've gotta wait for an actual class or something."

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah Lance tilts her head, cocking a hip and taking another swig from the bottle. She stands in the doorway, coming nowhere near filling it (at least not the way that Ted would), but still creating an obvious barrier to entry. Such as she is. Holding eye contact, she lets the goth girl ramble for a little bit and takes another slow swig.

Without a word she nudges the door open with her shoulder. "You've come to the right place then, honey. Ted Grant founded this gym as a place where anybody could come to work out. Novice or heavyweight champ. No judgements." A tilt of her head follows. "C'mon in. Oh, and I'm Dinah."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico relaxes, letting out a rush of breath she wasn't aware she was holding as she nods her head, "Nice to meet you, Dinah. I'm Nico." She grins lopsidedly, perhaps a little self-consciously as she mumbles, "I... ahh, well, definitely don't count as a heavyweight champ."

Her right hand moves to brush along her left forearm through her coat as she murmurs almost thoughtlessly, "Though it's not really punching power I'm worried about... it's more, uhh... technique? Like, not pulling anything or spraining my wrist. It's a dangerous world out there, and I just want..." Her face screws up thoughtfully, "Well, a little self defence training for when I'm down on my luck and all I've got is -me-, you know?"

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah Lance flashes a grin, stepping aside to let Nico past. "Yeah, Ted was The Champ." she replies, pronouncing the capital letters in the title. "But if you wanna learn how to throw a punch, I can teach you a few things. Most fights aren't settled with a single, overwhelming punch anyway. It's about your stance, balance, and timing."

Trusting Nico to follow, Dinah turns to walk towards the speed bags. And she exposes her back to the girl as well, seemingly unconcerned about being jumped. "Get the door, will ya'? And slide the bolt." She removes the towel, then, draping it over a chair. "Learning to fight and learning self-defense are really two different things, though. Self-defense is all about disabling your attacker and getting away."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico follows along all too willingly, peeling her gloves off and slipping them into the pockets of her jacket. It's unbuttoning that coat and peeling it off that makes her heart flutter nervously as she nudges the door closed with one of those chunky boots of hers, pausing to make sure she hears the latch click solidly before she sets the deadbolt.

"Yeah, I'm pretty used to the running away part of it." she tries to chirp out flippantly, but her voice is just a bit too blaise, pitched a touch high with nerves. Oh, it's not her outfit, she's wearing a vintage black silk blouse, with the sleeves hemmed up to just barely cover her shoulders, above a jet black skirt that clings to her hips and thighs without really hindering too much motion.

But she's not sure how this lady's going to react to her whole metal left arm, fingers curling and flexing with nervous energy, "Well, I'm not a... southpaw? But I've got a helluva left." Humor! Humor is a great defense mechanism for self-consciousness.

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah Lance turns once she reaches the speed bags, her gaze shifting towards the metal arm. A brow lifts, but that's the only response to it. Her upper lip twitches at the 'helluva left' and she grins. "I'll bet you do." she replies, declining to probe any deeper. "But you've gotta -hit- with it to matter, right?"

The petite blonde gestures to the speed bags, giving one a single punch to get it swinging. "The speed bags will help with your timing and rhythm. The heavier bags are good to work on power. I also use them for kicks."

The grin returns, then. "Ted does have a 'you break it, you replace it' policy, just so you know."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico laughs softly, though she eyes the swinging speed bag like it's a wild badger as she lines up with it, "Oh! Kicks. Right... I hadn't thought about that. Well, I'm not dressed for that much training yet."

She squares up with the speed bag as best she figures she should... using a mixture of what she just saw Dinah do, and the old kung fu flicks she tends to go see during rainy afternoons because a cheap theatre's great shelter.

Which is to say she could -probably- show up a toddler with that first punch. The second's a little clumsier as it's that left, and she's all inside her own head about it now.

"Yeah, I think I heard you kick it from outside. And don't worry, the arm doesn't hit that hard unless I want it to... and, I mean, if we get to the point I have to do that, our training's probably been interrupted by one of those clowns you guys have around here."

Dinah Lance has posed:
Dinah Lance inadvertently glances over towards a corner of the gym, then, where her open duffel bag rests. And right on top is a leather jacket, what looks like a leather bodysuit, and biker boots. And are those fishnet stockings spilling out? She grins. "Yeah, this really isn't the best neighborhood." Not that she seems concerned.

Dinah steps up to another speed bag, then, and she starts a rhythm going. Fast, light, and easy; right-right, left-left. She watches her hands while she continues. "Stance and timing." the blonde declares. "Start slow and then build up speed. We'll work on blocks next. Kicks and throws are much more advanced."

Nico Minoru has posed:
Nico nods her head, she can't help but follow that glance, streetwise hypervigilance on display. ...Although that bag's a bit more of an interesting sight than she was expecting. Her lips quirk in a little grin, boots and fishnets are definitely a sign of fashion friendship. Leather too, really.

But rig ht now she's trying to be a good student, and so she tries to mirror that rhythm, watching her own hands, the rhythm not as smooth, but she's not outright missing the bag or anything.

"Oh, well, if you want to toss me around, I'll have to change later. But that's cool, I can make it work." She nods her head solemnly and murmurs dryly, "Yeah, blocking's good too. I mean, don't want to block some jerkass's fist with my face, makeup's not cheap!"

Dinah Lance has posed:
It may be more than Nico expected, but Dinah puts the goth girl through her paces. Speed bag first, then the heavy bag to work on focusing punches. The emphasis is on technique and stance, more than the actual punching. Afterward, some basic block-counter-punch work. Karate 101.

Jump rope is last, after Nico is good and tired. Speed and stamina. It's probably a longer night than Nico signed up for, and when they're finished Dinah is only breathing a little faster than she was when she answered the door. She gives Nico a card for a flower shop. "Here's where I work. If I'm not here, stop by the shop anytime. I'll also talk to Ted."