Ashley and Garrison, powers training
Jan. 5th, 2026 07:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsAshley is not a fan of her powers training, vents a little at Garrison and is reminded why they have to learn to control strength.
Kane hit a couple of buttons on the holo-interface, trying to come up with something interesting for yet another training session. He finally settled on a Japanese dojo style, likely set to unsettle a younger person. None of them recognized Mickey's Gym in any case. He sat at the edge of the mats, elbows propped loosely on his knees as he waited for her to arrive.
Ashley had finally learned not to wear the cute yoga pants, or the extra-cute layered tanktops to these sessions. Mister Kane did not care about 'those were seventy dollars!' as much as she did. Joggers, a t-shirt from a play she hadn't enjoyed being in, and an extremely structured sports bra that probably qualified as someone's architecture project, because it kept everything from moving a single inch. A miracle of fashion engineering.
She blinked a few times as she entered the Danger Room and looked around. "This thing is still so cool, and so far over my head. Are we doing a karate kid thing, should I take my shoes off?" Her keds were cute, but in the 'all sneakers can be cute if you buy them in pink even if they're fifteen dollars from the thrift store' way.
"If these were actual mats, yes. But in here, they're just decor." He said, raising smoothly to his feet. "So, I know we've been isolating a lot of your powers training into specific silos, away from your hand to hand training. Today, we're going to start to integrate those more. Which is why you get someone who can go blow to blow with you."
"Did you know there was a Karate Kid musical in St. Louis a couple years ago?" Ashley said, sort of absently as she explored the room a little. "Okay, so hand to hand is. Not. Something I'm skilled at. I know how to punch but mostly what we get in Gen-X training is the how to avoid a fight stuff. You know, run away fu is the strongest fu, de-escalation, give the mugger your purse, that kind of thing."
"This isn't that different. However, this time, we're going to see how your powers can be used to augment what you've been taught." Kane said. "Also, you'll be starting more traditional hand to hand soon, so get really to learn how to throw that punch, eh?"
"How is learning to throw a punch not that different from all the deescalation stuff we learn?" Ashley made a fist - thumb on the outside like she'd been taught (ages ago, in stage combat - you had to make it look real to do it fake) and tapped it into the palm of her other hand. "Honestly I'm mostly scared I'm going to punch a hole in someone's sternum. I watch a lot of bad movies. That happens all the time in them and I know it's special effects but I can punch a hole in a stone wall, so bone doesn't seem that far off, don't you know?"
"Because you're never not going to be in a position that you can punch through someone, but you might be in a position to have to punch someone." Kane said. "Physical mutants like us face a challenge, which is how do we restrain ourselves but still protect ourselves." He said with a sigh. "I'm sorry, but you don't have the option of just basic self defense any more."
"I hate that. So much." Ashley was - not pouting, but certainly throwing fitful sighs. "I know, I know, I don't get to choose, it just sucks, this was easier when it was just I couldn't get hurt, and now I have to think about everything, all the time. Every time I open a door or pick up a mug or - I have this stupid phone case for my phone so I don't crush it and I know I'm whining. I just don't know how you and Inez and everyone else is so chill about how much we have to think about this all the time."
"We've had years... decades in my case, thanks for the reminder, to internalize it. Part of the motivation is the stakes involved." Kane said. "Our powers can be casually dangerous. A hug that could cripple someone. A handshake that cripples. The only way to a somewhat normal life is taking this as seriously as it deserves. And don't pretend it is easy. You want to scream into the void and destroy a heavy bag or something in frustration, I'll give you a dozen DR programs you can launch on your own to do just that. It's okay to be angry about it. In many ways it is unfair. But it's also an inescapable fact."
"I want to argue with a higher power about it." Ashley complained. "It's upending the trajectory of my entire career plans and I can't even be mad about it because when I stomp my food I break sidewalks." She gave a little demonstrative stomp, and it made the floor ripple. "Except in here, but I can't live in the Star Trek Hologram forever."
"A few people have wanted to try." Kane said easily. "But here's the deal. Put the work in, listen to what I tell you, and you'll find it significantly easier to control things and lead as close to a normal life as anyone who signed up to live in a mansion full of powerful mutants can find."
Ashley let her head flop backwards making a little strangled noise. "Giving myself 4 seconds of don't wanna, because this sucks. Every time I think I've got a handle on this I break... a handle. I broke my kuerig last week and then it's a week of that stupid yellow bodysuit so I don't break every other thing in the room and ... and getting upset makes it harder and I hate that. I'm supposed to be dramatic I'm a theater kid!"
"You'll just need to channel your drama into less physical expressions. I'm told ranting on social media remains popular." Kane said wryly.
"Yeah, I have a whole tag on theatertok about mutant inclusive casting on Broadway and how there's like two whole directors who give a shit." Ashley offered.
"Man, and I remember when RENT was subversive." Kane said. "Alright, let's throw some punches and figure things out."
Kane hit a couple of buttons on the holo-interface, trying to come up with something interesting for yet another training session. He finally settled on a Japanese dojo style, likely set to unsettle a younger person. None of them recognized Mickey's Gym in any case. He sat at the edge of the mats, elbows propped loosely on his knees as he waited for her to arrive.
Ashley had finally learned not to wear the cute yoga pants, or the extra-cute layered tanktops to these sessions. Mister Kane did not care about 'those were seventy dollars!' as much as she did. Joggers, a t-shirt from a play she hadn't enjoyed being in, and an extremely structured sports bra that probably qualified as someone's architecture project, because it kept everything from moving a single inch. A miracle of fashion engineering.
She blinked a few times as she entered the Danger Room and looked around. "This thing is still so cool, and so far over my head. Are we doing a karate kid thing, should I take my shoes off?" Her keds were cute, but in the 'all sneakers can be cute if you buy them in pink even if they're fifteen dollars from the thrift store' way.
"If these were actual mats, yes. But in here, they're just decor." He said, raising smoothly to his feet. "So, I know we've been isolating a lot of your powers training into specific silos, away from your hand to hand training. Today, we're going to start to integrate those more. Which is why you get someone who can go blow to blow with you."
"Did you know there was a Karate Kid musical in St. Louis a couple years ago?" Ashley said, sort of absently as she explored the room a little. "Okay, so hand to hand is. Not. Something I'm skilled at. I know how to punch but mostly what we get in Gen-X training is the how to avoid a fight stuff. You know, run away fu is the strongest fu, de-escalation, give the mugger your purse, that kind of thing."
"This isn't that different. However, this time, we're going to see how your powers can be used to augment what you've been taught." Kane said. "Also, you'll be starting more traditional hand to hand soon, so get really to learn how to throw that punch, eh?"
"How is learning to throw a punch not that different from all the deescalation stuff we learn?" Ashley made a fist - thumb on the outside like she'd been taught (ages ago, in stage combat - you had to make it look real to do it fake) and tapped it into the palm of her other hand. "Honestly I'm mostly scared I'm going to punch a hole in someone's sternum. I watch a lot of bad movies. That happens all the time in them and I know it's special effects but I can punch a hole in a stone wall, so bone doesn't seem that far off, don't you know?"
"Because you're never not going to be in a position that you can punch through someone, but you might be in a position to have to punch someone." Kane said. "Physical mutants like us face a challenge, which is how do we restrain ourselves but still protect ourselves." He said with a sigh. "I'm sorry, but you don't have the option of just basic self defense any more."
"I hate that. So much." Ashley was - not pouting, but certainly throwing fitful sighs. "I know, I know, I don't get to choose, it just sucks, this was easier when it was just I couldn't get hurt, and now I have to think about everything, all the time. Every time I open a door or pick up a mug or - I have this stupid phone case for my phone so I don't crush it and I know I'm whining. I just don't know how you and Inez and everyone else is so chill about how much we have to think about this all the time."
"We've had years... decades in my case, thanks for the reminder, to internalize it. Part of the motivation is the stakes involved." Kane said. "Our powers can be casually dangerous. A hug that could cripple someone. A handshake that cripples. The only way to a somewhat normal life is taking this as seriously as it deserves. And don't pretend it is easy. You want to scream into the void and destroy a heavy bag or something in frustration, I'll give you a dozen DR programs you can launch on your own to do just that. It's okay to be angry about it. In many ways it is unfair. But it's also an inescapable fact."
"I want to argue with a higher power about it." Ashley complained. "It's upending the trajectory of my entire career plans and I can't even be mad about it because when I stomp my food I break sidewalks." She gave a little demonstrative stomp, and it made the floor ripple. "Except in here, but I can't live in the Star Trek Hologram forever."
"A few people have wanted to try." Kane said easily. "But here's the deal. Put the work in, listen to what I tell you, and you'll find it significantly easier to control things and lead as close to a normal life as anyone who signed up to live in a mansion full of powerful mutants can find."
Ashley let her head flop backwards making a little strangled noise. "Giving myself 4 seconds of don't wanna, because this sucks. Every time I think I've got a handle on this I break... a handle. I broke my kuerig last week and then it's a week of that stupid yellow bodysuit so I don't break every other thing in the room and ... and getting upset makes it harder and I hate that. I'm supposed to be dramatic I'm a theater kid!"
"You'll just need to channel your drama into less physical expressions. I'm told ranting on social media remains popular." Kane said wryly.
"Yeah, I have a whole tag on theatertok about mutant inclusive casting on Broadway and how there's like two whole directors who give a shit." Ashley offered.
"Man, and I remember when RENT was subversive." Kane said. "Alright, let's throw some punches and figure things out."
