runningred | Working out with Jemma.

{{From here}}

Jay is hanging out in the bar early in the morning. Well, early for him. He's dressed in sweats and running shoes, waiting for Jemma.

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From:

protect_and_survey

She's out of breath by the time they get around the entire loop, but she's just about stubborn enough to not fall over once she feels it's okay to walk again. These are the times (and the only times) she wishes she'd taken a teaching post at the Academy - there aren't any gazelle-like runners to make one feel quite turtle-like.

From:

runningred

"Okay. Good work. Lets walk back to the bar, grab some water and head down to the garage. I have some self-defence moves I'd like to work thought with you."

From:

protect_and_survey

She nods, glad at least that the upcoming humiliation at least won't be public.

Not long later she walks into the garage for the first time, blinking in surprise at just how very big it is.
"Goodness, do you spend much time down here?"

From:

runningred

"I lived down here for the first month I was in the bar. It might be massive but it's private. And comforting in it's own way." Just past his workshop, Jay has a training space set up - a sprung and slightly padded floor that won't hurt to hand on.

Jay ditches his shoes and shirt and bounces onto the mat, stretching a little. "Do you want to show me what your trainer's been doing with you? Might be best to build on that."

From:

protect_and_survey

Thiiiiiis is not going to go well. Jemma can just feel it. She follows his lead and pulls her shoes off before stepping onto the mt - with decidedly less bouncing and much more trepidation.

"Um... mostly throws, at the moment. To escape a hold. Well. That's where I am, anyway." Since most of the other people in this class are a) from Operations and b) recruits stolen from the US Army or RAF or some other military-type organization or other, the rest of the class dealt with that in a morning.

She.. she understands the physics of it. She can see what they want, from the outside. But for some reason it just stops making sense from the inside.

From:

runningred

"Okay, so if I was to come at you like this," He holds out his hands as if to catch her by the throat, but not quite touching her. "How have they taught you to respond?"

He moves slowly, making sure she okay with him being inside her personal space before proceeding.

From:

protect_and_survey

There's a moment of wide-eyed freezing - it happens every time, because her natural reaction is to back up and keep on going... which she's learned is not a valid option. So she freezes, ignoring (or trying to) the chorus of 'Run away!' in favor of trying to remember what she's supposed to do next.

She's found she doesn't much enjoy the way her brain freezes up about this. It doesn't do it anywhere else, which makes it all the more annoying.

Jerkily, with a very clearly telegraphed sense of 'Oh right that of course' her own arms come up inside his, to push his hold apart and away.

From:

runningred

"Okay. Seems fairly standard. I can teach you some other techniques but you really do hate this, don't you?" He steps back, unsure how to proceed.

From:

protect_and_survey

"I... oh dear. Is it really that obvious?" She sighs, her shoulders drooping. Hate might be the wrong word, but she's desperately uncomfortable with the whole thing. She's gone from university life to SHIELD Academy to SciOps - and in each place spent most of her time in the laboratory, usually highly guarded laboratories. Her fights with other people are fought on the academic level - she can slaughter someone in peer review but the idea of actually being attacked... Terrifying.

But if she can get field certified... there's so many things she wants to see in person, not through reports.

From:

runningred

"Your reflexes are tilted towards flight and that's fine. That'll save your life more like than not. You can learn defence, or even offence but if you don't have the inclination, I'd rather teach you to run faster." He invites her to sit down on the mat with him. "Jem, tell me why you're putting yourself through this?"

From:

protect_and_survey

She sits, thinking furiously. It's helpful, actually - it distracts from the feeling that she's failing at this (again), which is just plain depressing.

"Security clearance. There's field work my laboratory does, but in order to be part of it, you have to pass qualifications." She figures that's vague enough to keep Hill happy (which has become a bit of a Thing, lately).

From:

runningred

"Ah." Jay brightens at that. "Passing a physical. That makes more sense. And that we can do. Any chance you can lay hand to a copy of the regs? We'll train direct to that and get you through it."

From:

protect_and_survey

That earns a startled laugh - oh God. Hill would murder her. In full view of the Bar. And get away with it.

"Er. Not directly. Maybe Bar can provide a... shareable version." Non-disclosure isn't even the half of it.

From:

runningred

Jay gives her a gentle nudge. "Redact whatever you need to redact. I'm not gunna pry. I just want to help."

He holds a hand out to her as he bounces to his feet. "Alright, lets try some evasive footwork." He gives her a deep and playful bow, putting on a very good, polished English accent. "Miss Jemma, may I have this dance?"

From:

protect_and_survey

She takes the offered hand up - she's not bouncing, not after yesterday and then a run today.

"I do believe my dance card is perfectly free." She replies in kind, pulling a very good curtsy once she's found her feet.

From:

runningred

Jay laughs warmly and shows her a series of evasive footwork katas. After a second of playing with his mp3 player, he pulls up a song with the right rhythm to turn them into a salsa. He stands next to her as they repeat the steps over and over, creating muscle memory pathways.