recolle | [ open ] Gotta go, gotta go, gotta get with it

[ open ] Gotta go, gotta go, gotta get with it

WHO: David and you! (one prompt closed to

vendettastool)
WHERE: Recollé Recreation + Fitness Center
WHEN: Throughout the month!
WHAT: Catch-all training log! David's looking for sparring partners to train with (and training his charge)
WARNINGS: Martial arts action and smartassing, maybe more depending on if memories are triggered or not.

ota.
There's something missing, it feels like. Hitting a training dummy or punching bag only does so much after a while, and unfortunately, working with Yoon-sung isn't much of a step above that. David still wonders how he's going to be able to help him get over whatever is blocking him from actually fighting back. He's mentioned being afraid of losing his temper, but that doesn't feel like the full reason, in his eyes.

David takes a deep breath before grabbing onto the punching bag to steady it - frowning. It doesn't help that this doesn't do anything to clear his head, when normally going through with a couple rounds would do the trick. He's been feeling a lot more restless lately, and he wonders if it's got something to do with some of what had happened last month with that vivid ... something that had happened with Yoon-sung.

He shakes his head - this wasn't the time for him to be thinking about his charge - this was supposed to be about himself. Another deep breath, and he readjusts one of his gloves, turning his head to look over his shoulder at whoever was watching, a small smile on his face now.

"You wanna go a round? Don't think I'm gonna get more out of the bag today."

closed to yoon-sung.
David crosses his arms as he slowly circles around Yoon-sung - his stances have gotten better, but it's when they decide to do any actual striking that he starts to choke. Still, it's part of his job to make sure that his charge understands what he might have to get into. True, as his bodyguard David was supposed to keep from anything getting close enough to hurt him, but at the same time, he couldn't be everywhere at once. Beyond that, it's not a bad idea to at least understand that you have options to fight back if backed into a corner.

"Good, keep your stance low like that - makes it more difficult to get knocked over. Arms close and hands up near your jaw." He nods as he finally faces Yoon-sung proper, getting into his own stance. "Ready?"

(feel free to use either brackets or prose, I'll match!)

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He was never ready for this kind of thing. Sure, he could at least pretend and attempt to do something a little more active, but Yoon-sung never saw the point outside of it being just another piece of exercise in his daily workout. He's been trying to keep from choking but there always would be a point in which he just couldn't. He didn't know why either, though it could be from that incident. He had been a fighter before, but after he just didn't.

Sighing a little, he kept up his hands and watched David. He knew that he was probably going to get tossed around - it was part of the training knowing how to fall - but he didn't like it. Maybe he should actually strike back? But even as he thought it, he squashed the idea. He didn't need to fight back. He didn't want to either.

[Minako sets down her dumbbells and blinks David, glancing around to look for someone else he might be talking to before pointing at herself.]

Me? Are you sure you want to ask an amateur that?

[She's taking a handful of kickboxing classes for fun, so she knows some basics...but she definitely wouldn't be able to take on a seasoned boxer in a sparring match.]

"Giving up on the bag already, huh."

Juzo's been standing nearby and watching for a little while, even though he's been mostly focused on the punching bag in front of him, it wasn't too difficult to notice that something about this guy's moves is off. There's something else on his mind, perhaps? Even if that's the case, Juzo doesn't ask for details—he didn't come to the Recreation and Fitness Center to bother random people with questions. Instead, he steps back from the bag and turns to David, smiling back at him.

"Sure, come at me. Show me what you've got."

Going through the motions would only do so much - never mind that, once again, this was supposed to be something to help Yoon-sung in the long run outside of any obvious exercise benefits. One way or another, he was going to get to the bottom of this.

David starts to circle him, keeping out of striking range for the time being. "Going in for a punch, deflect it."

And that's about the only shred of warning he's getting before lunging forward and delivering. If Yoon-sung doesn't deflect it, he'll stop before actually landing the blow - he'll give that much courtesy.

[He gives a nod, though his smile is a bit sheepish at first.]

Yeah - if you wanted to, anyway. I can probably give some pointers if you wanted them, too.

He could keep up to David until a certain point. Blocking, dodging, that was fine. Yoon-sung didn't have problems with that. It was when he actually had to do something more that he would choke. And while he said that he was scared of his temper, he never really went into details with anyone since it seemed like a petty thing to worry about. After all, those closest to him had been on the receiving end of him and his outbursts of his anger-fueled rants on more then one occasion.

It was different though. Words didn't leave blood and broken bones behind.

Moving to block, he hesitated. In a real match, he should be moving to hit back but, well, knowing what to do and actually doing it were two different things.

Edited 2017-04-05 20:50 (UTC)

"Yeah, doesn't feel right, I guess." David lets out a sigh and frowns for a moment, gaze flickering back to his original target. The whole point of this was to help clear his head instead of letting everything stew. Logic only dictates then that forcing his mind to work more on an actual opponent would hopefully help to actually force him to take his mind off things for a while.

Wishful thinking.

There's a long exhale before his expression shifts, and he's in a stance, eyes narrowing before he moves forward, one leg shooting out to deliver a kick to Juzo's side.

If you don't mind giving them, then I'd love to learn. My kickboxing classes were pretty fun, I wouldn't mind doing something like that again.

[She pats her sweaty hands dry on her leggings and then offers him her hand.]

I'm Minako, nice to meet you!

This was true - defensively, Yoon-sung was pretty good and was able to keep up with most of his attack patterns. It was when he forced the other to counter or go on the offensive that things got bad. Even after being around him for all this time, he still wasn't sure what exactly was making him hesitate. Even beyond that, he's seen how Yoon-sung reacts to things when he's angry, and he's had to diffuse that anger on more than one occasion. He could handle it.

He narrows his eyes as he watches the other shift to block, immediately bracing for a counter that never came. David lowers his arms, frowning. This always came up.

"You have to strike back, Yoon-sung. You can't just dodge and block, you need to react and do something about it. You don't even have to strike me directly, just deflect and let my momentum push me forward and out of the way."

"What if I don't want to strike back or deflect?"

He knows, he knows, he just didn't want to go past that point. There's no need to go past that point. If he could just make any attacker stay away for long enough, he could get away and let someone else deal with the rest. Yoon-sung would say that he was too lazy to deal, but in all actuality, it was something worse.

Curling his hands into fists, he dropped his arms and looked away, both moves that would usually get scolded for.

"I get really tired of this anyways."

Oh, Juzo knows these days. Or, at least, he thinks so—it's the most frustrating thing, not being able to stop thinking about something. An inanimate punching bag is no good at such times, that's true. But sometimes it has to do. Today it's not this time, however.

Blocking kicks usually doesn't end well, so Juzo takes a few steps back and to the side in order to dodge it. A counterattack could've been a good idea, but Juzo's rather defensive today for some reason.

"Not bad at all," He mutters loud enough for David to hear him. "How long have you been training?"

Nah, I kinda do it already anyway.

[Granted, Minako here seems a bit more receptive to constructive criticism (or just being receptive to anything combat related in general) than his usual student, so maybe it'll work out better.

Maybe.

He gives a nod before taking her hand and shaking it firmly.]

David, nice to meet you too.

How far did you get in your classes?

"You want to get hit, then? What if the attacker has a knife?" It always comes to this. Every time they move anywhere past defensive maneuvers. Yoon-sung wasn't the only one getting frustrated, but David felt he had every reason to be. This was getting ridiculous. He grits his teeth as the other looks away, rolling his eyes before grabbing one of his shoulders.

"I don't know what the hell you're so afraid of, but you and I both know I'm not always going to be there to bail you out. This isn't me trying to pawn off my responsibilities on you, and you know it. As much as you piss me off half the time, I do consider you a friend. You think I want you getting hurt?"

[Is she basically getting a free lesson from a boxing teacher? Cool!]

Hmm, enough to learn all the basic moves and start using them on the bag, but not much farther than that. It was only a beginner's class. And I miiiight be a little rusty. [She gives him an apologetic smile.] I'm a quick learner though, so if you put me through the paces I'm sure it'll come back to me.

The worst part is that generally he usually doesn't need to have someone else to fight against in order to help clear his mind, but with everything going on lately, it feels like the only thing that will help.

He quickly shifts back into a stance to brace for what he thought was going to be a counter, and stays in position despite the conversation going on. The hit doesn't come, though - but he stays in stance, taking a deep breath to try and ground himself before replying: "Since I was a kid. Kept me out of trouble. Usually. You?"

It's a start! And yeah, it's a bit like riding a bike. We can start with the basics to help jog your muscle memory.

[Definitely the same starting out, but he's been through this part of it, so it should go faster.]

Did you want to start with offensive or defensive moves?

Oh, bring on the offensive moves.

[She laughs and drags her stuff over, flexing away the stiffness in her fingers.]

Alright, um, let me see...for a simple jab, you have to shift onto the balls of your feet while you bring your arm forward?

[She tries the move, and while she's putting too much extra energy into it, her form is at least decent.]

"Wish I was as clever as you, it'd save me some trouble." The snicker at the end can't be helped. Middle school, what a time it was. Not that it's a good moment to reminisce, though. "High school, I think."

Just a few seconds pass between Juzo's answer and his attempt at throwing a few jabs David's way to keep him busy for at least a while. Once he's done, he'll take one step back and enter a defensive stance, of course if his opponent will let him do that.

"I'm pretty sure that most people are looking to kidnap me and not planning on killing me."

It was not the point of course. It was never the point and he knew it. He just didn't want to admit that he knew why he was being schooled in self-defense. He just didn't want to get too far in case he just lost his temper and took it out on someone that couldn't fight him off.

Not that he was the strongest person in the world, he just knew that he had the reach and speed that would made some people lives difficult.

"I know you don't want me to get hurt. I know. I just don't think that I can."

[He watches her do it, nodding slightly as he gently pushes her fist aside before mirroring the move himself, stopping short.]

Yup, your stance is great for this so far. But don't get too overzealous - notice how I was able to deflect the strike? Jabs aren't meant to be the move to knock someone out. I generally use them to get my opponent to back off to give me time to wind up with a bigger move.

[Minako jumps a little bit at the contact, her eyes going wide as a memory-- a vision-- flashes across her mind. It settles in the back of her mind as quickly as it comes to her, but she looks a little dazed as she nods to his words.]

Right. I'll...get exhausted too easily.

"It wasn't so much cleverness as it was my old man wanting to help keep me out of trouble. Even then it wasn't completely a hundred percent foolproof." He grimaces a little - while David wasn't exactly a terror in his youth, he wasn't exactly squeaky-clean, either.

He steps back to avoid the first punch, deflect the second using the broad side of one arm and try to keep out of reach before stepping back in with a forearm strike. No point getting too elaborate right off the bat.

"You listened to your old man, that's good enough." Not that his own father was creative enough to think of some other activities for Juzo back then. But he doesn't really hold it against him—it's his own fault, after all.

"Not bad. Not bad at all." There's no trace of the mocking tone he usually has while praising others. Speaking of elaborate, Juzo is far from thinking up complicated strategies or trying some complex attacks. But he does go into offense more aggressively, starting a new sequence of jabs a little while later.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they won't try grabbing you to make that happen." At this point he was just stalling to try and see if he could get Yoon-sung to admit what was always bothering him about this. If it weren't for the fact that his father wanted him to make sure he could defend himself as well in case, David would've dropped this a while ago and just made sure he was doing some sort of exercise. But that wasn't the case.

"'Don't think you can' what? Fight back?"

Exactly, and your opponent wouldn't hesitate to use that against you in a real fight. It's just a quick snap of your arm and then back into position.

[He lowers his hands for a moment, a thoughtful expression crossing his face as he taps a finger against his chin.]

Though really if you want to keep them back, a quick kick can do the same thing with a bit more range.

[She gives him a little grin, trying to shake off her sudden uneasiness.]

Oh, I'm really good at that. These feet are laser guided towards shins.

[A small benefit of being short.]

I remember some of the kickboxing kicks, but all of them were pretty high up. Is that to try and mess up an attacker's sense of balance?

[He does snicker a little bit, but nods.]

Either their sense of balance or - depending on how high - to knock the wind out of them in general. If you don't want to risk going too high and getting caught, you can try something like a snap kick to the groin or a thrust kick to the stomach to push them back. Both are pretty simple, too.

[His grin turns a bit sheepish.]

Ah, sorry if it's a lot to take in - I've been doing martial arts for a while, so if I start rambling or something doesn't make sense, just let me know.

"My old man was Army - I'd better have listened to him, otherwise I would've had hell to pay." Not that it stopped him from rebelling once in awhile as a teenager, but that was standard fare considering it was finally when they had settled down and weren't moving all the time.

"You're not half-bad yourself -" David ends up ducking to try and avoid a jab and go for another body blow when he freezes up, a flash of red hair and gold eyes registering in his vision before the next blow from Juzo is a clean hit, causing him to stagger back as he shakes his head, blinking rapidly and trying to ground himself again.

Oh no, you're fine! I really appreciate you taking the time to give me some pointers. [She shoots him an equally sheepish smile.] I'm kind of a more visual person though, so as long as you show me what kind of kick or punch you're talking about while you talk about it, I'm good!

"Oh, fuck. A soldier dad..." Juzo whistles at that making it obvious that he perfectly understands the meaning behind hell. Not that he knows it first hand, but he knows enough about Army.

"That must've sucked." Juzo ceases his jabs as soon as one of them connects and gives David a while to come to himself. Look, it's no fun to keep beating up when they can't even defend themselves properly. At least, maybe this will give David a push to start counterattacking. Actually, he's kind of counting on it.

"If they can reach me, you mean. I can keep them back."

Because keeping someone back was okay. It was fine. Push them back, block their attempts to grab and use the space to run. Sure, if they had a gun that would be different but he didn't know very many people who would use a gun for a mere kidnapping plot. That was a game changer and while he didn't care to get hurt himself, he still will think of something to do in case of a gun.

"Hurt someone."

Right, that probably might help.

[He gestures over to one of the training dummies nearby and gets into his stance for a brief moment.]

Let's start with the thrust kick, then. You'll get more momentum off it if you use your back foot, like this.

[He slowly brings his left leg up, knee bent, and kicks out to strike the dummy in the center with his heel before rechambering his leg.]

You know how in a lot of old martial arts movies that they mention focusing past your target rather than just against them? It actually does work. You don't need to put too much force into it, but if you focus past them, you generally can make them stagger back further.

"Yeah." If they weren't in the middle of a spar and he was forcing himself to focus exclusively in front of him, David would've shrugged. As it stood, he frowned as he got back into his stance.

"Wasn't that bad. Just had to be a bit more creative with my teenage rebellion, that's all. He mellowed out after his tour was up." Honestly, he's just chalking up that flash as a weird coincidence or something. Maybe he needed to take a day or two off. After recovering, he surges forward with his intended attack - a quick slide-step forward before lashing out with a backfist strike - and preparing to follow up with a side kick after the fact.

"They'll hurt you if you don't. Some won't, but we can't count on every kidnapper to be that kind."

It's an awful way of thinking about others, but an unfortunate thing that he had to consider sometimes. True, it did explain part of why Yoon-sung wasn't close to many people. And in some ways it helped. But he also remembered what Mr. Lee had told him when he had first started this job - that he was supposed to not just be Yoon-sung's personal bodyguard and assistant, but also be a friend to him.

David runs a hand through his hair, frowning. "... look. We don't need to get into counterattacks today if you don't want to, but I can't keep procrastinating on it. This is supposed to help both of us."

If somebody asked him why didn't he dodge or at least try to block that anyhow, Juzo wouldn't be able to tell no matter how long he would think about the answer. Maybe his thoughts wandered off and he lost focus or maybe he was so sure that David wouldn't get to poke him too much. Perhaps, doing something, anything rather than just standing there would help, but what's done is done.

Surprised by the strike, he completely forgets about one basic thing—that his opponent uses kicks as well. Looking up from his knees as he has lost his balance and fell, Juzo coughs once before he starts laughing.

"Creative. You sure are."

[Minako watches from a few paces away, watching his movement intently. As he speaks, she mirrors him, her left leg coming up and extending to kick at her invisible enemy. The movement feels familiar. She even recalls the music that the teacher had played during the lesson. With mounting confidence, she repeats the moves several times more in time with the upbeat tune in her head.]

I'm starting to remember my lessons! Let's see, it was this, wasn't it...

[She resettles into her fight stance, and then counting under her breath, executes a simple combination of cross punches and side kicks, switching sides afterwards. No use in learning something like this if you don't practice it both ways, after all.]

"I know."

He wasn't trying to be sharp about it, but he's known since a young age that he was kidnap material. It just never was something he thought as being important since he lived as a pampered child of a rich man. He even flirted with the danger of others finding out his connections to money and his inability to actually keep himself safe. He was reckless and stupid and willing to just do what he wanted even if it was dangerous. Then the first real attempt happened and while he got away in good condition, a part of him decided that for it to never happen again, he had to change. He no longer made real friends, he no longer got into fights, and it was only David's sheer stubbornness that made Yoon-sung open up enough around him.

It just was going to take time before he would fully let David know that he felt guilty about the kidnappers. About the police who spent days looking for him. About his family's worries, and about feeling like his whole life was a stupid twisted thing and how he just wished to pretend he was just another code jockey.

"I know." Yoon-sung soften his tone, looking up at David and trying not to flinch back. He was trying even if he was screwed up in the head. "Sorry."

To be fair, David was surprisingly unfocused for someone who had asked for a spar up until this point. It probably could be considered an easy fight. David flashes him a grin before holding out a hand to help Juzo up -

The man in front of him had grinned back sharply, fringe falling into his eyes as David helps him up, though the name that the other man says isn't that, and seems to have golden fire flashing in his eyes as he steps back to get into a stance - "Not bad, you overgrown lizard."

And quickly snaps out of it, or at least tries to. "Sorry. Not sure what that was all about."

If David doesn't know what that was all about, Juzo knows only less. Watching him with a raised eyebrow, he has no doubts that something is off. That wouldn't be the first time something weird happened as of late, but still.

"Let's stop here, you must be tired already," He murmurs while rubbing his neck. "And so am I. You sure you're okay?"

He's surprised by his own question at first. Well, to think of it, if something happened to David after a sparring, it could mean trouble for him, even if he wasn't particularly on the offensive today.

David deflates a bit at that, but he's still frowning. "Sorry's only gonna get you so far. C'mon, get into your stance. If you don't want to counterattack, just dodge and deflect. We'll finish up when you get five."

At this point he's just being stubborn, but it's a part of the job.

Not bad! You had a good teacher, a lot of people would just focus on working with one side.

[He nods in approval - the form's good, stance wide enough to keep her balance while striking.]

Just remember to not drop your arms while kicking, it's an easy mistake to make - it wouldn't be any good if someone was able to hit your face while you're trying to strike at them.

"I'm ... not sure." He turns his head with a huff, eyes narrowing as he's trying to figure out just what that was all about. "I've never had something like that happen during a spar."

Which was true and probably a good thing because that would mean trouble. But the fact that it happened in the first place is disturbing in and of itself. His shoulders slump slightly while he pinches the bridge of his nose. "I can't even say I know what I even saw, but... Yeah, maybe we should stop for now. Sorry."

"Do you think this is a game? Again."
He's smaller, younger, the air humid though there was a breeze against his back. Rain was coming and already the workers were hurrying to cover and tie down what they could before it hit. Rain would ruin the product and he would rather go to help them like the other children but Father was here, staring down at him and he had to show him that he could do this. All he wanted was for Father to be proud of him.
"Yes, pappa."
He expected the slap but didn't flinch. There was no use in flinching. "Again."

Yoon-sung shook his head, the memory feeling so real that he could taste the air. It took a few seconds to focus and when he did, he shifted into the ready position, though it wasn't the same kind of lackadaisical form he usually held in the past. Nor did he actually say anything in response to David's statement, feeling dislocated by where and what he was doing now and the echoes of that strange memory.

"It's fine, man. We can continue some other time."

To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure what else he can say in this situation, Juzo simply shrugs and adds a while later, "Weird stuff keep happening lately, so I guess we gotta get used to this shit. Let's grab something to drink."

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[ open ] Gotta go, gotta go, gotta get with it

y u do this 2 me? y?

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because :|

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so mean ;;;

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you're expecting anything less during training?

puppies?

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do i look like the type to bring innocent animals into training?

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but puppy ;;;

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