young volcano

“I see,” she laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Well, everything is open. The crowd doesn’t start coming in for a few more hours.” Safer for the kids that way, really. “If you want to use a punching bag, we’ve got tape and gloves behind the counter.” Funny, considering she never used gloves herself unless she was doing demonstrations with the kids.

Ryuuko placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head as she continued. “I’m around for tips and sparring, if you ever need it. Haven’t been here in Lambda all that long, but at least I found a job that suited me.” Honestly, she couldn’t picture working anywhere else in the city. A cute cafe? Not a chance. This was the best option for her.

“I see…” So she could use the punching bag, spar with this person, or ask for help. She was mostly going to just work on forms today, but the options were nice.

Ryuuko crossed to the counter, slipping behind it and rummaging around for a roll of tape. “It’s pretty easy, but you gotta do it in a way that still lets you move your hand flexibly. If you do it wrong, it could feel too tight on your hand and cause more damage when you punch.” She dug around a bit more and found the gauze. “First you wrap with a layer of gauze, for cushion--sometimes I’m lazy and forget which isn’t something I don’t recommend. You start around the wrist a few times and then move between your thumb and index finger a few times, then your thumb..” she droned on, her hands moving as she explained.

“And then you basically just repeat those same movements with the tape. It’s a bit easier if you have an actual wrap, but most people bring their own if they use them so we don’t really supply them.” She wiggled her fingers for show and clenched her fists. “It’s probably the cheapest if you’re on a budget.”

It seemed strange that such a young girl in a cute little outfit would be here watching people beat the shit out of each other. You really couldn’t judge a book by its cover, huh? Well, at the very least, she hoped she wasn’t on her own, or that she wasn’t going to be scarred and have nightmares. Though...she knew there could be some unsavory types roaming around sometimes. Mostly the slimy guys who took bets and suckered people out of their money without blinking an eye.

Yata was fast and always prompt with deliveries, and he’d even opened the box to test it’s temperature, finding hot steam rising almost as soon as he’d opened the lid. Another ploy to keep the food and his money, he wagered. Well, he wasn’t stupid. Plastering on his finest smile although the twitch at the corner of his mouth had been a dead giveaway, he’d apologized to the customer and told him there’d be no charge and that he’d take this “inedible” food away, something that twisted his customers features to the point that nearly proved his theory right. And then there was a threat about a call to his superior and Yata wanted nothing more than to have this guy call his fist to his face instead.

But he’d somehow kept his cool, racing off before lingering around got him in anymore trouble. Well, the food would only be thrown away and Yata was due for a lunch. He’d been working over six hours without a single break, which he supposed was a testament to how busy and successful his place of work was. Which was good. He needed the hours. Needed the money.

Just as he was scanning the area, looking for a place to sit and eat a figure stood out to him from the alley. Out of the corner of his eye he figured it to be just some shady guy or homeless person. What he couldn’t ignore was how said person was leaning against the wall looking as if she (something he’d noticed what with her midriff bared and all and surprisingly found that he could ignore the heat rising to his cheeks at seeing how withered she appeared) just had the living crap beat out of her.

The skater slammed his sneaker against the pavement, rubber burning as the wheels screeched to a stop. With the bag of food still in his hand, he slid it down his arm and lunged forward, leaving his skateboard laying on the middle of the sidewalk. “O-Oi, you okay?” Okay so this kind of thing had been pretty common what with all the gang activity around here and not that he hadn’t seen some kick ass girl’s in his time but he couldn’t ignore how awful she looked. Besides, there was this nagging feeling like maybe she’d been ganged up on.

But even so, she couldn’t cover up the fact she’d been fighting. Her hands were still wrapped with tape and she was definitely sure there were bruises visible. Vaguely she wondered if her lip was still bleeding, but she still tasted blood in her mouth from earlier so she wasn’t sure if testing it would do any good. He looked nervous, anyway--but she wondered if that had more to do with her outfit than her current state.

“Ahh....yeah, I’m fine,” she answered, though it wasn’t quite so convincing when she winced as she shifted her weight to her other foot. “Just uh, sparring.” Technically it wasn’t a lie. Though it’d probably be suspicious in this part of town at this time. Somewhere within the building a door opened, the muffled cheering leaking out before it was quickly shut and she inwardly cursed. 

Well, at least he didn’t look like anyone that would turn her in. “A-anyway, you don’t need to worry about me. Like I said, I’m fi--ine..” As if to protest her words, she wobbled, pressing her hand to her forehead as she took a shuddering breath.

As she entered the gym it appeared that a lesson was wrapping. Kids were starting to leave with there parents, and there were only a few people left, older people namely. She glanced around the area, noticing an older woman who seemed to be training alone with a punching bag. Ku couldn’t help but be captivated by it. She looked pretty strong. “Ooooh…” She took a few steps closer to get a better look, then once the woman was finished she addressed Ku. Her question snapped Ku awake from her trance.

“I see,” she laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Well, everything is open. The crowd doesn’t start coming in for a few more hours.” Safer for the kids that way, really. “If you want to use a punching bag, we’ve got tape and gloves behind the counter.” Funny, considering she never used gloves herself unless she was doing demonstrations with the kids.

Ryuuko placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head as she continued. “I’m around for tips and sparring, if you ever need it. Haven’t been here in Lambda all that long, but at least I found a job that suited me.” Honestly, she couldn’t picture working anywhere else in the city. A cute cafe? Not a chance. This was the best option for her.