Virginia was almost as surprised as Kevin when she connected with his ribs! She quickly stepped back hoping he was not too pissed. He did not seem to be but she saw the wheels turning in his eyes. In the moment she glanced over at Cythi and gave her a goofy smile that said 'Look at me! I am not dead yet!'


She heard Stitches babbling something in the background too but paid it no mind. Kevin's footsteps vibrated the ring floor as he approached and she turned back to him. With no finesse, simply acting on survival instinct, she ducked out of the way of his  viper punch. As she scurried to the side her bubblegum glove shot out but missed.

21:40, Today: Virginia rolled 14 using 1d20+2.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:46, Wed 27 Apr 2022.

Kevin was enjoying himself as he and Virginia were bobbing and weaving under each other’s shots. He once again tried to tag her in a pressure point under her arm but missed the mark. Virginia could see the red mark on Kevin’s ribs where she had hit him slowly fade away to normal color.

20:50, Today: Punching Bag rolled 14 using 1d20+10.  Pressure point attack.
Attack missed.
Kevin heals back up to normal from Regeneration 5

Marie would walk into the gym finally, wanting to see what all the commotion was about, especially with hearing Cythi cheering like she was. Marie was dressed in her usual jeans and hoodie. Hood pulled up, wearing sunglasses to conceal her eyes which only a few knew had an unnatural trait about them.

The older teen would walk up to Cythi, looking up into the ring. "Provoking duals again?" She said in her usual emotionless tone as she looked on, lowering her hood to reveal her short blondish hair..
This message was last edited by the player at 01:07, Thu 28 Apr 2022.

Virginia was disappointed but no one could say she did not 'leave her mark'. Moving a bit slower she tired to lull Kevin. Backing, backing, sliding away. Playing the part of the prey, looking meek and helpless she went from corner to corner. He was being patient with her. Suddenly she stepped into him and took a jab at his chin!

18:27, Today: Virginia rolled 21 using 1d20+2.  for a jab

Kevin was surprised when Virginia faked him out and socked him right in the chin. The thing is that you don’t become a champion by having a glass jaw. The fighter took the hit and slowly turned his head back towards her with a smile. This time, he rushed straight at her and faked with a left jab before connecting with Virginia’s chin with a right uppercut!

19:54, Today: Punching Bag rolled 18 using 1d20+8.  Southpaw strike.
19:53, Today: Punching Bag rolled 23 using 1d20+12.  DC 21 toughness .

Her strike hit but was soaked by toughness roll
She now has to soak a DC27 Toughness check

Angel watched the sparring with interest. Her eyes widened a bit when Virginie started to connect with a few punches, not noticing that her hair started to float on it's own, rising above her head like a hundred snakes swaying back and forth to an unheard piper. Suddenly took shape into a massive hammer head.

"No!" She shouted as it streaked like a striking cobra towards Virginia, barely missing the other woman as Kevin's punch connected. "No! I'm sorry!" she reached up, trying to wrap her hair up in her arms. "Stop that!" With a writhing bundle of hair in her arms, Gagamba ran from the gym into the locker room. "I'm so sorry!"

Kevin's swing landed squarely with the pleasing sound a glove makes when it compresses against something solid. Unfortunately it was Virginia's jaw. Her head snapped up, blowing spittle in a stream. She staggered back rattled by the blow and continued avoiding waiting for her legs to steady up.

21:45, Today: Virginia rolled 14 using 1d20+9.  toughness roll Staggered and Bruised ... I think

Virginia was rocked with the last hit. Kevin went in the finishing right hook when the hair from Gagamba whipped out almost hitting her. His fist stopped just short of Virginia’s right eye. Stitches moved between the two of them. “Whoa time out. Somebody just tried to interfere with the match. We’ll just schedule this for a rematch once we figure out what’s going on. Sorry folks, next time you’ll see the big finale. Go back your workouts now.”

Kevin stepped back and looked over at Cythi and Marie. “Mind checking out what’s up with Gagamba? I’ll stay here and make sure Virginia is good.”While Stitches had been a little bit of a creep before, he was all business and professional as he sat Virginia down on a chair offering an ice pack from a nearby mini fridge. He held up a light to her eyes checking her ability to focus and concentrate. “Ma’am you ok? Took one of the champ’s slugs right on the chin there. There will be some bruising, but it will go away soon enough. Anything I can get for you? Water? Aspirin?”

Cythi's instinct is to teleport to the side of her friend so she could heal her but instead follows PB's request and turns and takes off after Gagamba but stopping to look back and see if Marie is following or not.

Either way she shouts "Angel wait up!"  Before doing the next best thing and teleporting ahead of her and teleporting in a position so she is facing her.

She watched Gagamba for a moment, and watched her actions before the other girl finally went and ran off. Her actions finally bringing a small sigh from her lips.

She then looked at Kevin a moment, and started to say something. Cythi though would beat her to the punch. Finally she just shook her head and followed Cythi to help Angel. "Okay. I'll talk to her too." Then she would turn to follow Cythi, realizing the other girl had teleported. "...really?" Came the word in her usual emotionless tone. A shake of her head she would walk on in the direction that Angel went to catch up with them.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:36, Fri 29 Apr 2022.

Virginia stared at Stitches with a glazed look, breathing heavily. After a moment she said "Water" and sat down. She twitched her jaw left to right and found everything still in order. Taking the bottle from him she drank half of it down in big gulps. Slowly her blood pressure came back up along with the fire in her eyes.

"That was good Kevin but let's try it with a little more passion next time. Like Will Smith." She said in good humor.  "I think am done for the day."

She dumped the rest of the water over her head and held out her arms, silently requesting they pull her to her feet.

The locker-room was mostly empty.  Row upon row of battered but serviceable metal chambers lined up, a vague reminder of younger days.  The gym acknowledged it's roots, but it was full of top of the line modern amenities and stylings and it was well maintained without being ostentatious.  .  It just didn't pretend to be other than what it was:  a locker-room for a fitness center focused on sparring.

Inside, As Angel came racing in, a woman sat casually in one corner, carefully taping up her wrist.  She was black woman with lighter hair, pulled back in a tight bun.  SHe had to be in her forties, maybe even her fifties.  She dressed in a simple black crop-top and tights, showing a figure and physique well tended, but not particularly remarkable.    she could've been anybody.  But, of course, this was HeadStrong's, and that meant something in Seattle.

Headstrong's was one of Seattle's best kept not-really-a-secret thing.   And Jenny had been coming to Headstrongs since just shortly after Kevin opened the place.  She always made a point of respecting whatever was going on, and tried to time her sessions for the off-days, off-hours.  These days, they were getting fewer and father between.

She knew the team, of course. Her husband, Carter, was working on putting them through their paces.  One day, they would claim the mantle of the city's protectors.  And she'd be there for the pomp and circumstance.  But, today, she wasn't Radiance, and wasn't checking in on anyone.  She was just Jenny, and she was there for some serious time with the heavy bag.

Then Angel came racing into the locker room, all tears and anguish.  A moment later, Cythi popped up (Jenny could never quite get used to that!) and Marie was right on their heels.

Jenny didn't go into defense mode (come on, this was Heasdstrongs!)  She simply shifted her position to face the three girls and grimaced as she wound the strapping too tight.  She unwound the tape and reapplied it with a practiced air.

"Stitches?"  She asked with an eyebrow raised.  "He's gotta get a new schtick.  I liked him better as the grumpy old man.  Trading grumpy for creepy wasn't a trade-up.  At least I could understand--Jeez!  What set you off?

--
OOC: Entirely up to you on whether you recognize, know, or are even friends with Jennifer Wilson.  She was active as "Radiance" until about five years back.  Now, she mostly does philanthropist activities....

"Buhok pagkatao!" Angel shouted as she ran into the corner of the locker room, shoving lock upon lock of hair into a locker and trying to push it closed. "Pagkatao!" She turned as the others entered, pushing her back against the locker as writhing strands of hair were waving from every opening.

"I'm ok!" she said, forcing a smile that indeed looked forced. "It's ok! I'm... I'm just having a bad hair day."

Kevin helped Virginia to her feet. “Can’t wait to see what you can do when you’re not holding back. A little more training and you’ll be mopping the floor with anybody short of myself.”He gives a playful nudge at the comment.

Cythi stops and looks confused look on face but then goes with her assumption of the literal, "It is OK as all of us have bad hair days Angel.  I just don't care about mine at all."  She says flipping her hair for a moment and still really confused before the light bulb finally goes off.  "Oh right your thingees.  The ones that I consider super cool."

"Oh and Hi Jenny!"

Marie walks up, hands in the pocket of her hoodie as she stopped in front of Angel. "You should let your hair down and ease up girl." The statement might of been completely hilarious if not for the fact that Marie had just said it deadpan. Of course, that might just be enough to make it funny in of itself.

Still, Marie was Marie, suppressing her emotions was the norm for her because of their direct tie to her powers. "Don't be like me. There can be only one me." She said without emotion. "Still, you think you're bad hair day is bad. Imagine me."

"No. I am pretty sure it was you holding back, not me. But I am learning. That is why I like to watch...uhm your fights." She nudged back. "There are some people out there I want to do some mopping with!" She held out her pool noodle arms in a fight gesture. They were stronger than they looked though. "But I don't have your skills. Now you know you will be getting a lot of new members with the semester starting up. Promise to not hurt the cute boys too much. Save that for when you are on jerk patrol."

Virginia walked along beside Kevin grabbing a hand towel and working off her gear. She ignored the onlookers who were going back to there routines but watching them with their eyes. They had no idea what they had just witnessed. Kevin had not been beating up and some defenseless girl. He was always a consummate professional. The only professional in the area even without his gifts in fact.

Kevin nodded. “Sure thing. Once we figure out what’s going on with Angel, how about I take us all out for lunch? I hear there is a new Japanese ramen place that opened up a couple of blocks away. We can talk about what we’ve heard on the streets.”He looked over at Stitches expectantly who nodded and stepped to the side to call and reserve a table.

"Japanese?!" Virginia wonders if any of the conventionees will be there. But it was Sunday noon, the convention really ended last night. Sunday morning was mostly meetings for the execs and organizers wrapping things up. There should not be too many Nekos running about town.

"Japanese sounds good. Give me a few minutes to get a shower," she replied.

Virginia burst into the locker room and looked about. She saw the others in a strange state standing around Jenny with her hair stuffed in a locker. Seeing only 'the crew' she said, "Kevin is offering to buy us all lunch at the new ramen place, Chrysanthemum Noodles! If you guys are interested?"

Loud bangs come from inside the locker, pushing against Angel with each shove. "Thank you, Marie," she responded, trying to bear in mind that the other woman probably meant it differently than it felt to her, "Schadenfreude always makes my burdens much easier to bear."

She struggled for another moment until Virginia entered. "Food?" She immediately stood away from the locker, her hair retracting into her head and changing to purple and pink. "Count me in!"

"Just remember, when your burden's become to much, there is always someone's who's burden's are even bigger. So whenever you need to, feel free to imagine what it is like to be me. Use that to regain your composure if you have to. I guess you could say, let me bear your burden for you in that way." She said, emotionlessly. Those that have gotten used to her though, knows she's serious, and that she truly means it.

Finally she would look over towards Virginia. "I suppose I will come."

Cythi happy the scene is deescalated she turns when they get to the next part which is the food part Cythi is on the fence.  Food was one of those things she had a love hate relationship with.  Mainly as food caused some discomfort.  It passed fast but still was not her favourite thing.  Still the taste....yum!  "If everyone is going I will go."

Virginia quickly over analyzed each and every word Marie said. The pause was short but she did not hear any subliminal messages. She moved on. "Great! Let's all meet out front in a few minutes and try our best to embarrass Kevin this afternoon!"

With that she went straight to the showers and washed away the morning. She then quickly dried off, pulled her hair back, and got dressed with the last set of clean clothes stashed in the over sized locker. She made a note to herself to clean this out after lunch and get everything laundered. She grabbed a sachet bag off a hook and stuck that in her jean pocket too.

In less than ten minutes she was at the front again, gawking out the windows at people walking by. She rocked on her heels and waited for the others to be ready.

Kevin took a quick shower and got dressed in some blue golf shorts and white fitted polo. He stood out front with Virginia quickly joined by Stitches who had switched to a more reserved gray and white three piece suit and no bullhorn. The restaurant was only a couple of blocks away, so there was no need to get the armored car. He looked over at Kevin and showed his phone. “Reservations have been made for the garden seating. Reserved the whole space and promised a thirty percent gratuity.”Kevin nodded and patted him on the back.

In reply to Jenny (msg # 30):

Cameron was hitting the big bad during an off-time when this part of the gym was less busy.  Every sense the attack that had taken her parents from her and she had discovered she had powers, she has been training in martial arts under Mr Garrett's tutelage.  Her Aunt Alexis ran her gymnastic business in Mr Garrett's gym with a bay set aside for all the gymnastics equipment necessary.  Cameron was here on her day off from teaching gymnastics to kids and hitting the bags to develop her power.  She had discovered that she could use whatever allowed her to fly to hit harder, so she was moving the bag a lot more than her size indicated she should. She was tall and slim with a toned body from all her training in gymnastics and now martial arts training. Currently she was wearing a sports bra and running shorts that were dark with sweat as she pushed herself.

She liked hitting the bags when there wasn't anyone around, because then she could play with how to use her flying abilities, hitting the bags and dummies at angles that a landbound person would ever consider as possible as she floated in the air, sometimes even upside down.  The bags were pulled up to the ceiling when they weren't being used to make for more efficient use of space and Cameron had set herself up so that she could surge up into the air when no one was around to hit bags at different heights in the air.  She kept half an eye on the door to the room and when it opened, she would drop quickly to the floor to strike at the bag setup normally.