Jubilee and Amanda log: Sparring

[x-jubilee.livejournal.com]

Backdated to early Friday night.

Amanda and Jubilee talk, then they spar.



Amanda's hand trailed along the plaster wall as she stepped past the door and looked around. It was the Danger Gym, and flashes of past conversations and workouts sent her fingers to twitching. She stopped them with an effort, and banished the need for chalk as well.

Someone was in here this morning, she could hear the dull thwack of fist against plastic, and the tinkle of a metal chain.

"Good to see you up and about, Mandy." Jubilee said, pushing a long plait over her shoulder as she squared up against the bag again. She'd spent a rather productive morning with Remy's friends but that had been more agility and speed work, this was for fun.

"Don't call me..." Amanda paused. No, that wasn't right, she was reacting from an earlier time. "Um, yeah. Back, large as life, that's me."

"You don't seem to sure of that." Jubilee noted, stripping the boxing gloves from her hands and dropping them to the ground by her feet.

"That I'm back or that I'm me?" Amanda replied, slightly whimsical. She continued to circle the gym, her fingers trailing over various pieces of equipment and the walls, as if committing them to memory.

"A little from column A, and a little from column B ." Jubilee replied with a smile. She moved over to the leg press machine and slid into the seat, placing her feet carefully before pushing up with a grunt. "You were gone for awhile, I was almost worried."

"Sorry." The apology came quickly, almost like she'd been expecting something like that. Perhaps she had. "Time flies when you're being a crazy homeless person, y'know?"

"Well, just see that it doesn't happen again. I mean, crazy and homeless, so last year." Jubilee said, voice slightly strained as she pushed the weights back up with her legs. "You had the trail of people wanting to make sure you're okay, and then bein' all uncomfortable and such yet?"

"'S not like I asked London to eat me, y'know," came the wry reply. Amanda stopped at the weapons rack, ran her fingers along the smooth length of a bo, thinking of Remy. She hoped he'd be all right. "Yes and no. A couple have dropped by, but for the most part, people're acting like normal, which suits me fine. Plus there was that whole 'research trip' thing to avoid stirring up the school - that was good thinking."

"Yeah, we weren't exactly in the mood to be explaining to the school that you were missing, presumed something. Thanks, by the way. You saved my life back there, when you were in London. I'd never have seen the mains if you hadn't popped up." Jubilee said, slowly pulling her legs downwards before pushing back up again with a grunt. "Crispy fried would have been such a bad look for me."

"Yeah, Wanda mentioned something. I don't remember much from then - the city, she kind of overwhelmed me." Swallowed me up, held me close... Her fingers twitched slightly on the bo. "Still, glad I was able to manage something. Wanda said you were fighting the Great Fire."

"More flailed weakly at, I'm thinkin'" Jubilee replied, finally setting the machine back to neutral and resting her head back on the bench. "I blew a hole in London Bridge and she fell in the water. It's funny, ya know? For all that I can like, blow up buildings, most of what I've been doin' lately is findin' ways not to have ta fight. Guess there's somethin' to be said for usin' a foe against themselves."

Amanda cracked a small smile at that. "'S less painful in the long run, too. Not so many trips to the hospital."

"So, how confusing is it then?" Jubilee asked, standing and moving over to a stand that held weights. "All of this, that is. How's the memory going?"

"It's getting better." If the answer was a little evasive, it was because Amanda didn't want to think about the effort involved in retrieving and reincorporating a lifetime. Even with the help of Emma and Sofia, it was daunting. "There's... glitches still. 'S taking a while to get used to."

Jubilee looked over the various weights, expression thoughtful as she looked over her shoulder at Amanda. "You up for sparring yet, you think?"

Let it never be said she'd backed down from a challenge. "Just watch the ribs," she replied, stripping off her jacket.

"Make sure I don't hit them then." Jubilee returned, stepping away from the weights and into the center of the room. She rolled her shoulders and then clenched and unclenched her fingers to start her pre-sparring stretches. While she was technically already warmed up, it never hurt to take the time.

A flash - she had already advanced on Jubilee from her position against the door - now she stepped forward, bunched her fist, and slugged Jubilee right in the face - and Amanda rotated her shoulders, stretching out her neck. "Well then, let's see how we go then, shall we?" she said, deceptively mildly as she moved to the centre of the mats.

"Lets." Jubilee replied, a quick grin flashing as she stepped into the center as well and immediately threw a punch.

Another flash - "Ew brook mu noosh, u bish." - and Amanda twisted, avoiding the punch at her face and responding with two of her own, one high and one low, making sure to keep the bruised ribs turned away from Jubilee. Angelo would kill her if she got herself banged up again.

Jubilee avoided the high punch, ducking under it, but winced as she felt the low connect with the center of her chest. Amanda might be a little addled in the head right now, but she certainly hadn't lost any of her strength. It had been lucky for her that these were merely opening moves, or she'd have been winded for sure.

Jubilee quickly stepped back out of reach and circled the other girl, looking for a weakness.

She grabbed a handful of Jubilee's absurdly-long hair and yanked her to her feet. "Thing 'bout all the fancy stuff," she said, pulling Jubilee's head back and ignoring the other girl's nails as she instinctively clawed at the hand holding her hair. "Is it ain't worth shite if you can't fight for real." She pushed Jubilee away from her, releasing her hair as she did. "C'mon on then, Tinkerbell. Show me of these shit-hot martial arts moves of yers. I've been busting t' wipe the floor with yer skinny arse since I first saw you." Amanda shook her head. Had she said that out loud? Concentrate, can't get distracted now, she told herself, and then she lashed out again with another punch, aimed at the bridge of Jubilee's nose, stomping forward with one booted foot at Jubilee's.

Jubilee saw the punch coming and moved sideways, turning as she did to grab hold of Amanda's elbow and shoulder to pull her forward and hopefully into the knee that she swung up and inwards toward the other girl's chest.

The wind whooshed out of Amanda as the knee connected, but rather than shoving Jubilee back, she pushed forward, free hand raised to strike Jubilee's chin and force her head back. With a yelp, Amanda wrenched her right arm out of Jubilee's grip and punched her in the face, once, twice... On the third Jubilee's teeth let go their grip. Blood ran from the bite, and Amanda, now straddling Jubilee with her knees either side of the other girl's hips, saw red...

Jubilee's head shook back as the hand connected with her chin and she staggered back, but managed to keep her feet. "Nice shot." she noted, before moving forward again.

She feinted with her right fist, taking a swipe at Amanda's head only to grab the arm that moved to block her.

Something broke - her fragmentary self-control - and she grabbed a handful of thick hair either side of Jubilee's face and slammed the other girl's head into the floor, hard.

The sparks burned. Swearing in at least three languages, Amanda flung herself back, landing clumsily half on the floor and half on Jubilee's legs. Bright red welts, shaped like Jubilee's fingers, were already rising on her forearms. "You fuckin' psycho bitch!"

"C'mon, Lee, where you slopin' off to? Yer the one who brought powers into this, you gunna cut an' run on me? Oh, wait, I forgot, that's how you do everythin', ain't it?" she taunted, not even thinking rationally now - all she wanted to do was finish this, show Jubilee who was boss for once and for all, and make sure she knew exactly what she'd done, what she'd interfered with. "Just like you, screw up, make a mess, an' then fuck off."

The flashes were coming too fast, too vividly and Amanda tried to twist her arm away, back off. Jubilee took advantage of the lapse to aim a punch at Amanda's side, connecting solidly with the fading bruises on her ribs. With a cry, Amanda shoved the other girl away staggering back and holding up a hand to signal an end to the session. "Stop," she gasped, holding her side. "'S too much."

Jubilee backed off immediately, concern evident in her expression as she stood back to give Amanda some space. "Mandy, what is it?"

Amanda saw the wave of fireworks descending on her at the same instant her shield broke completely, the now-familiar sensation of blood trickling from her nose signaling she'd hit her limits. Still, she tried, knowing there was nothing else to be done - she summoned up every last shred of power she had and pushed it back into her shield, only to have it fizzle and crackle ineffectually.

She winced, waving Jubilee back a bit further, pressing her fingertips to her forehead. "Remembering," she grated. "Just give me a sec."

"Looks like a bad one." Jubilee noted, stepping back further and holding her arms at her sides where Amanda could see them. If this was some sort of post traumatic flashback, she didn't want to do anything to make it worse.

Taking a few deep breaths, Amanda nodded, then lifted her head, glancing down at her forearms as if she almost expected to find Jubilee's finger marks etched there. "'M okay," she managed, shakily. "Did you realise, this is the first time we've sparred since that day we tried to beat the shite out of each other?" Her accent had thickened somewhat, closer to the old way she'd talked.

"Really?" Jubilee asked, tone somewhat surprised. "Huh. Is that why you just got all weird on me? Rememberin' the fight we had?"

"Sort of. More... reliving it." Her hands were shaking slightly and it ached to breathe. "I'll be fine," she repeated.

"You should stop that." Jubilee said, moving over to pick up the towel she'd left on a bench. "Can't be healthy."

Amanda rolled her eyes at that. "Yeah, funny, that."