Post by Aegle Verdant on Jul 22, 2019 23:27:53 GMT -5
Brawn's shame dawned on Aegle at just about the same time as it did the big man himself. She watched it in the movement of his eyes and color of his cheeks, heard it in the sound and cadence of his voice. She knew almost before he did that she ought not have asked at all, what had brought him to Haven. And soon, she heard why.
'A drop out.' Aegle thought, horrified; She might just as soon have asked a blind man what his favorite color was.
"N-no, I didn't mean..." But it was too late. Brawn pushed past the two of them, hastening from the gym without a second glance. Aegle's eyes lingered on the door he'd exited through, and a sudden upwelling of guilt just about choked her where she stood.
'Real nice,' said a mocking voice in the depths of her mind, one which sounded suspiciously like her own, 'Y'sent the first nice guy y'met runnin'...'
Aegle closed her mouth, and wondered what she hadn't meant.
'I hadn't meant t'shame ya, in front of a girl y'seemed t'like? Hadn't meant t'remind you of y'broken dream? Hadn't meant to open my fool's mouth, and let some stray word hit ya where it hurt the most?'
It hurt her, what she'd done to Brawn, but it hurt all the more because her careless word had been a clumsy parry, a verbal riposte, meant first to move the conversation away from her, and only second for genuine interest in the big man and his motivations. She couldn't have known, that was true, but it was for a selfish cause that she'd even asked the question to begin with.
'Already makin' friends...'
"I-I'm sure he is alright, and just needs time." Aegle glanced over to Eva as the princess spoke. She looked about as uncomfortable as Aegle felt.
"Aye, time..." Aegle agreed. She put on a smile for the blonde girl's benefit, to let her know she'd already gotten over it, even as she replayed the past few moments back in her mind. As she watched and heard the shame gnaw out Brawn's heart.
Evangeline answered Aegle's smile with one of her own, one so pure and effortless as to put the crooked girl's bloodless grin to shame.
"Hey, you were punching 'zee bag, oui?" She asked Aegle, bright as a fresh fallen snowflake, "You know some'zing about punching?"
'I know which part of the bag your supposed to hit.' Thought the crooked girl, her grin slashing wider still as her misgivings mounted anew.
"I am trying to learn 'zee punching," Evangeline explained, sweet and eager, "Can you help me to punch better?"
Before Aegle could say no, the blonde girl had seized her hands, both of them. In an instant, Aegle was aware of little else beyond her hands, and the hands that held them. Soft hands, gentle hands, and warm.
'Can't even tell which one is the fake.'
Aegle felt the color rising in her cheeks, felt the warmth spreading along the nape of her neck and up the back of her bald head. Her fingers twitched restlessly in the blonde girl's grasp, in time with her quickening heart.
'She's so pretty.' Aegle thought, looking past her hands to the girl that held them, wishing she could be even half so lovely. For a moment, their eyes met, and Aegle thought she saw half a hundred colors in them. Then Eva's gaze dropped, and that look of hopeful excitement curdled on her perfect, highborn face.
Aegle, at a loss, followed Eva's gaze. And then she remembered.
'My hands.'
The realization plunged through her, as though someone had run her through on a spear made of ice. When Eva raised her eyes once more, fresh concern on her pretty face, it was like that someone had twisted it in her guts.
"You are hurt!" Eva said, soft and gentle even in her surprise, "Why were you not using 'zee aura to not let your knuckles hurt? Why would you train too much? Do you need medical attention?"
And, with each question, she gave the spear in Aegle's bowels another wrenching twist.
Aegle's grin pressed itself wider, slicing its way across her cheeks, till it showed every tooth in her head. She snatched her hands back, the warmth of Eva's touch as fire to her twitching fingers. Fingers she quickly hid in the pockets of her hoodie; She did not stop smiling for an instant.
"I was usin' aura, t'begin with," Aegle lied, "But I ain't got very much; It always gives out a'fore I'm done, yeah?"
She shrugged as best she could, and let her head tilt to one side, that she might look at Eva askance, "Runnin' out of aura s'no good reason t'stop trainin', y'know?"
She had no idea if that was even halfways plausible, and it seemed like getting as far away from the subject would best be her next course of action.
"I can show ya little t'do with forms." She turned, still smiling, half-limped to where her duffel bag lay. With a wheeze of gears, she crouched down and rummaged about inside, one handed, before coming up with what looked like a pair of faded black socks. She tossed them to Eva, rather than handing them over, not about to give the blonde another look at her hands.
"Wrist support." The crooked girl explained. The braces had two holes at one end, for fingers and thumb to pass through.
"Your aura can keep ya from scuffin' y'knuckles, but its good t'have somethin' t'hold your wrists straight, just so y'don't sprain 'em or somethin'."
She mimed rolling her wrist, then quickly tucked her hand back out of sight.
"Y'can keep those," Aegle said, pointing with her chin, "I mostly wrap my hands nowadays."
Ambling back, the bald girl grinned her broad grin and raised her thin eyebrows. She stopped just out of reach of Eva, head hanging at an angle once more.
"Y'footin's the most important part," She told Eva, and showed the girl what she meant. With a whir and a pair of loud thumps, she spread her feet. "Y'want y'feet just a bit wider than y'shoulders, yeah?" Aegle thumped the floor with one heavy booted foot to demonstrate. Then she did the same with her other foot, showing how it should line up with the rest of her body.
"The key t'punchin' is in y'feet, and the way y'stand," She explain, parroting almost word for word what Aaron had once told her, "Anyone can throw a punch, but a proper punch starts at your feet. It comes all the way up, y'know? From foot to fist. If y'doin' it right, y'hittin' with every muscle in y'body."
Aegle balanced like that for a moment. At last, she brought her hands up, squared her shoulders as best she was able, and threw a quick jab and haymaker, just as though she knew what it was that she was doing. Then Aegle caught sight of herself in the mirrors that ran the walls of the gym. A proper boxer's back would be straight, hunching sacrificed power and stability, and a proper boxer would be balanced on her toes and the balls of her feet, not stood flat footed like a block of wood. Aegle tried to straighten her back, tried to lift herself onto her toes, but she'd just as soon tried to swim to Menagerie. Abruptly, she swayed out of her boxer's stance, and offered Eva her grin once again.
"See? S'not all that hard," She told the blonde girl, "If I can do it, you can do it f'sure."
words - 1,267
'A drop out.' Aegle thought, horrified; She might just as soon have asked a blind man what his favorite color was.
"N-no, I didn't mean..." But it was too late. Brawn pushed past the two of them, hastening from the gym without a second glance. Aegle's eyes lingered on the door he'd exited through, and a sudden upwelling of guilt just about choked her where she stood.
'Real nice,' said a mocking voice in the depths of her mind, one which sounded suspiciously like her own, 'Y'sent the first nice guy y'met runnin'...'
Aegle closed her mouth, and wondered what she hadn't meant.
'I hadn't meant t'shame ya, in front of a girl y'seemed t'like? Hadn't meant t'remind you of y'broken dream? Hadn't meant to open my fool's mouth, and let some stray word hit ya where it hurt the most?'
It hurt her, what she'd done to Brawn, but it hurt all the more because her careless word had been a clumsy parry, a verbal riposte, meant first to move the conversation away from her, and only second for genuine interest in the big man and his motivations. She couldn't have known, that was true, but it was for a selfish cause that she'd even asked the question to begin with.
'Already makin' friends...'
"I-I'm sure he is alright, and just needs time." Aegle glanced over to Eva as the princess spoke. She looked about as uncomfortable as Aegle felt.
"Aye, time..." Aegle agreed. She put on a smile for the blonde girl's benefit, to let her know she'd already gotten over it, even as she replayed the past few moments back in her mind. As she watched and heard the shame gnaw out Brawn's heart.
Evangeline answered Aegle's smile with one of her own, one so pure and effortless as to put the crooked girl's bloodless grin to shame.
"Hey, you were punching 'zee bag, oui?" She asked Aegle, bright as a fresh fallen snowflake, "You know some'zing about punching?"
'I know which part of the bag your supposed to hit.' Thought the crooked girl, her grin slashing wider still as her misgivings mounted anew.
"I am trying to learn 'zee punching," Evangeline explained, sweet and eager, "Can you help me to punch better?"
Before Aegle could say no, the blonde girl had seized her hands, both of them. In an instant, Aegle was aware of little else beyond her hands, and the hands that held them. Soft hands, gentle hands, and warm.
'Can't even tell which one is the fake.'
Aegle felt the color rising in her cheeks, felt the warmth spreading along the nape of her neck and up the back of her bald head. Her fingers twitched restlessly in the blonde girl's grasp, in time with her quickening heart.
'She's so pretty.' Aegle thought, looking past her hands to the girl that held them, wishing she could be even half so lovely. For a moment, their eyes met, and Aegle thought she saw half a hundred colors in them. Then Eva's gaze dropped, and that look of hopeful excitement curdled on her perfect, highborn face.
Aegle, at a loss, followed Eva's gaze. And then she remembered.
'My hands.'
The realization plunged through her, as though someone had run her through on a spear made of ice. When Eva raised her eyes once more, fresh concern on her pretty face, it was like that someone had twisted it in her guts.
"You are hurt!" Eva said, soft and gentle even in her surprise, "Why were you not using 'zee aura to not let your knuckles hurt? Why would you train too much? Do you need medical attention?"
And, with each question, she gave the spear in Aegle's bowels another wrenching twist.
Aegle's grin pressed itself wider, slicing its way across her cheeks, till it showed every tooth in her head. She snatched her hands back, the warmth of Eva's touch as fire to her twitching fingers. Fingers she quickly hid in the pockets of her hoodie; She did not stop smiling for an instant.
"I was usin' aura, t'begin with," Aegle lied, "But I ain't got very much; It always gives out a'fore I'm done, yeah?"
She shrugged as best she could, and let her head tilt to one side, that she might look at Eva askance, "Runnin' out of aura s'no good reason t'stop trainin', y'know?"
She had no idea if that was even halfways plausible, and it seemed like getting as far away from the subject would best be her next course of action.
"I can show ya little t'do with forms." She turned, still smiling, half-limped to where her duffel bag lay. With a wheeze of gears, she crouched down and rummaged about inside, one handed, before coming up with what looked like a pair of faded black socks. She tossed them to Eva, rather than handing them over, not about to give the blonde another look at her hands.
"Wrist support." The crooked girl explained. The braces had two holes at one end, for fingers and thumb to pass through.
"Your aura can keep ya from scuffin' y'knuckles, but its good t'have somethin' t'hold your wrists straight, just so y'don't sprain 'em or somethin'."
She mimed rolling her wrist, then quickly tucked her hand back out of sight.
"Y'can keep those," Aegle said, pointing with her chin, "I mostly wrap my hands nowadays."
Ambling back, the bald girl grinned her broad grin and raised her thin eyebrows. She stopped just out of reach of Eva, head hanging at an angle once more.
"Y'footin's the most important part," She told Eva, and showed the girl what she meant. With a whir and a pair of loud thumps, she spread her feet. "Y'want y'feet just a bit wider than y'shoulders, yeah?" Aegle thumped the floor with one heavy booted foot to demonstrate. Then she did the same with her other foot, showing how it should line up with the rest of her body.
"The key t'punchin' is in y'feet, and the way y'stand," She explain, parroting almost word for word what Aaron had once told her, "Anyone can throw a punch, but a proper punch starts at your feet. It comes all the way up, y'know? From foot to fist. If y'doin' it right, y'hittin' with every muscle in y'body."
Aegle balanced like that for a moment. At last, she brought her hands up, squared her shoulders as best she was able, and threw a quick jab and haymaker, just as though she knew what it was that she was doing. Then Aegle caught sight of herself in the mirrors that ran the walls of the gym. A proper boxer's back would be straight, hunching sacrificed power and stability, and a proper boxer would be balanced on her toes and the balls of her feet, not stood flat footed like a block of wood. Aegle tried to straighten her back, tried to lift herself onto her toes, but she'd just as soon tried to swim to Menagerie. Abruptly, she swayed out of her boxer's stance, and offered Eva her grin once again.
"See? S'not all that hard," She told the blonde girl, "If I can do it, you can do it f'sure."
words - 1,267