Two Fold Training

Posted on Wed Jul 14th, 2010 @ 8:04am by Lieutenant JG Malia Jacy & Commander Fala Awen

Mission: Episode 1.2 - "A House Divided"
Location: Gym
Timeline: MD-15; 2130 hours

[[USS Pandora, Gym, Day 15, 2130]]

The gym was quiet; just the way Velia preferred it. Her workout clothes were the only clothing she considered more comfortable and fitting for her than her uniform though they both fostered a feeling of purpose within her. Bare feet padded their way across the floor mat to the furthest corner where she deposited her water bottle to the care of the bare flooring off to the side then swiftly and masterfully securing her long hair into a free swinging ponytail.

One of her secret pleasures was that during training, even while every other inch of her body was subjected to controlled plotted motions, she loved the feeling the ends of her hair made across her back each time she moved. She took her time positioning her body on the mat and when she was satisfied with her place, she began the stretching exercises that she’d become so fond of. The soles of her feet came together, her hand cupped her toes and pulled them inward until the muscles inside of her thighs protested. Her eyes checked the symmetry of her knees, though she could feel that they were aligned, and she began to move them in synch, bouncing them to ease her leg muscles into compliance for the next maneuver.

The hand slid from her toes to her ankle where it was joined by the other on the opposite side and with her elbows she began to press her knees firmly downward toward the mat. While Velia appreciated many things about martial arts, and Jiu Jitsu’s brand in particular, it wasn’t the actions themselves that gave her comfort. No, it was the fact that when she was here, in this zone, there was no hit and miss, no quest for answers, no accomplishments hinged on the productivity of others. Here, she controlled the outcomes, the burn and the result. The only one she needed to rely on was herself and she could take it as far as she was physically able if she so desired. This was tangible, and it was hers.

She’d held the pose long past the thirty second requirement; she’d ceased to count them out long ago, now she did it until her body refused to yield any longer. Moving her elbows upward she again bounced her knees to ease the tension and repeated the process, again holding until she was satisfied with the limit her legs would meet.

Awen walked into the gym, glancing around. Usually there were at least a few people, but for the moment it appeared that it would just be herself and one other woman. She hadn't met the other woman formally, but recognized her - she was one of the Intelligence Officers. The Bajoran didn't want to bother the young woman; she headed to another area of the gym and began her stretching routine.

Laying back, Velia straightened her body so that a straight line was formed from the part of her hair all the way to the point where her big toes touched. She bent one knee, turning her leg inward as she brought it into the air and positioned her ankle behind the knee of her other leg. Her right arm snaked through the triangle shaped opening formed between her legs, crossed over the draped shin, and grasped the other hand tightly. This allowed her to leverage the unturned leg downward, pulling it in and with a slight effort touching her knee to her nose. The standard hold for this exercise was thirty seconds as well, but between her lapse in discipline with her training and the fact that for some reason this movement out of all of them caused her the most discomfort even when she was being religious in her practice, Velia’s hold began much shorter and she would repeat it until she could stay it beyond the requirement.

Out of the corner of her eye, Awen watched the young woman for a few moments as she finished the last of her stretches. Her fingers moved up to her ponytail and pulled it a bit tighter as she walked over to the free weights. To her, the stretching and strength exercises were the more tedious, so the Bajoran preferred to get them out of the way first before moving on to her martial arts routines.

Satisfied that her body was paying attention now, Velia rolled up onto her feet and leveled a gaze at the heavy bag, rolling her head and shoulders and smiling at the comforting brush of her ponytail against her back. She measured what she determined to be a proper distance with her eyes, then streched one leg out to make sure any kick would be delivered solidly with her shin. She didn't relish the idea of hobbling about the ship with a broken toe solely because she'd misjudged the follow through.

Awen's eyes surveyed the free weights, deciding which ones to use. Starting out she generally preferred a lighter set than normal, to complement the fact that she was doing actual strength exercises, rather than simply lifting weights. Weights in hand, Awen moved to the nearby mat and concentrated on her breathing for a few seconds before starting. She moved one leg in front of the other, arms at her sides. When she bent her knees in a deep lunge, Awen curled her arms to bring the weights up and held the pose for ten seconds before coming out of the lunge.

Velia turned to inspect the source of the sounds, not realizing anyone else had come into the gym. She wasn't exactly sure who the Bajoran was; out of uniform and not being overly familiar with many of the Pandora's crew the woman could have been one of Myrin's girlfriends for all Velia knew. Whoever she was, she apparently knew her way around the weights well enough. The ensign turned her back on the gym's other occupant, intent to whale on the heavy bag until her recent frustrations had been worked out. This had been part of the reason Velia had chosen to visit later at night. Even if she failed in her attempt to clear her mind of the matter, at the very least she'd be physically exhausted enough that sleep would find her more easily. It was wise to start out slowly and lightly, Velia had long ago learned the hard way.

After about fifteen minutes of her strength routine, Awen racked the free weights. She'd come back to them later. For now, it was time for some Hapkido. The Bajoran was fairly well-versed, or at least familiar with, a number of martial arts, but one of her favorites was hapkido. She liked the variety and options it provided. First she started with some hand strikes, but soon wanted to move on to kicks. Giving a slight smile, she stepped back slightly, then started practicing her combination kicks.

With labored breaths Velia reached out to steady the swinging bag. Her legs had had enough; the shaking in them signaling that either she give them a rest or they'd take the initiative upon themselves. She formed her hands into fists and began to run them down the length of her shins, coaxing the blood flow to return and the nerves to wake up slowly. She hated this part; between the tremors and the tingles, it felt like she had dipped spaghetti legs into vinegar. Wiggling her toes, Velia pushed stray escaped strands of hair from her forehead with the back of her hand. She should have brought her baton ... and replicated a dummy.

Finishing a set of combination kicks, Awen landed in a crouch and looked over at the other woman. It appeared that she had tired her legs out with her routine. The Bajoran wandered over to the woman, essentially undetected as the woman was nursing her legs, and held out her hand to help the woman up. "Care for a sparring session?"

Velia blinked as she considered the offer, her gaze flickering to the now still heavy bag. "Actually," she replied, looking back to the woman and finding a serious expression that probably closely mirrored her own to some degree, "I would." That was one of the downfalls of training with a bag. Not a whole lot of surprises came from it.

OFF: To be continued.....

A JP

by

Lt. Commander Fala Awen
Chief Security/Tactical Officer
USS Pandora

and

Ensign Velia Moretti (PNPC)
Intelligence Officer
USS Pandora
played by: Lt JG Malia Jacy