7/23/2003

11:18 PM

Logfile from Toshie.

 

Ti Kwan Leep Public Dojo

In the entranceway is a counter were people must sign up to use the dojo, rental of the various practicing rooms go by the hour, or use of the main gym for members only for a modest annual fee. The stern looking and muscular man over seeing all of this seems quite adamant about no one going past without meeting their particular requirements. There's a clause on the sheet that says the dojo is not responsible for any injuries incurred on the premises.

There are several floors available, some smaller private practice rooms on the first level, a larger set on the second floor with higher ceilings meant for weapons practice and flips. The main gym however is in the basement and looks not only heavily reinforced, but the walls are lined with racks and shelves filled with practice weaponry, dummies stacked in the corners, and stacks of practice mats in the corner.

Tasuki is here.

Obvious exits:

Exit

 

Although he doesn't train regularly anymore, Neil still makes sure to take the time to at least practice twice a week to keep himself limber and in shape.  Once again, he therefore finds himself strolling into the Ti Kwan Leep dojo on his off night, a sports bag slung over one shoulder.  After pausing long enough to check in and flirt with the girl at the counter a bit, he saunters off towards the open gym.  He never bothers with a private room, and half the time - such as tonight - he doesn't even bother to change out of his street clothes into exercise gear.

 

Toshie emerges from a changing area at the dojo, hair pulled back into a smart ponytail, work out clothing tossed on. She pads out, barefoot, placing her duffel bag off on a bench to the side. She continues right out onto the mat, neatly dropping to sit upon it and begin her stretches. Reach here and there, the bending and so on and so forth. It is when the world is upside down to her while the girl is doing an arch that Neil passes by, and hardly given a second glance.

 

Neil idly scans the motley assortment of people scattered across the gym floor, letting his gaze linger momentarily on the few pretty girls who happen to be present.  He doesn't openly leer, though, just admires from a distance before claiming an empty section of mat for himself, far enough away from the nearest other patron - a young woman with blue-black hair - to leave him plenty of room for maneuvering.  Tossing the bag aside casually, he removes his leather jacket then settles down to slip off his hiking boots and socks before proceeding to perform a few stretches of his own.  Not many, though.  He's a firm believer that practice should at least somewhat resemble reality, and real-life attackers usually don't pause to let him warm up first.

 

Toshie pops over in a simple walkover so that she is standing once more. Hand lifts up to yank her hair into a tighter ponytail as it loosens a little. The girl slants a glance askance at Neil as he remains in street clothes, dark eyebrows lifting just a tad in challenge at such. The gymnast continue to warm up though, dropping into a few more stretches as she eases into her own work out, easing her mind into it as well.

 

The red-haired man is obviously no dancer or gymnast, but he does move with surprising dexterity even in the constricted confines of his tight jeans.  After his very limited stretching routine, he lies down flat on his belly, performs a kip-up, and immediately segues into a rather standard martial arts kata, practicing a series of blocks and open-hand strikes.  Rather than the focus and determination seen in the faces of most of the other martial artists in the large room, there's a bounce to his step and an amused grin on his face, as if he doesn't really take his practice seriously.

 

Tight jeans, eh? There is something to be said about tight jeans, but not when one is in a dojo to work out. Maybe the girl eyes that area once, possibly twice. Legs spread, she leans forward to press her chest flat to the mat with another stretch. By now though, the girl is opening watching him as she continues with her stretching, and not really being all that sneaky over her staring either.

 

The standard kata doesn't last long, however, before Neil deviates from it by adding elements.  Such as a cartwheel that takes him further from the closest person and ends in a double-fisted lunge.  With the momentum of the cartwheel behind it, the strike likely would've been forceful enough to crack ribs had there been a real opponent.  He then drops into the splits with even pausing, although a slight wince suggests he might've wanted to stretch a /little/ more before trying such a maneuver.  Or perhaps the jeans just snugged against him uncomfortably.  With a twist to the side, he brings his legs together again, once more on his stomach, where he proceeds to perform twenty push-ups.  With his left arm.  Then twenty more with his right.  At least he has the grace to be sweating a bit at this point.

 

Toshie's golden-irised eyes continue to follow the man for another moment, wincing along with him as he does the splits. And in those jeans? So wrong. As he goes into his pushups though, the girl finally drags her attention away from him to pay a little bit more attention to her own self and her own actions with a mental rebuke. Sliding neatly to her feet, the girl begins to start into a form as well, sliding through the movements with a seriousness as opposed to the other's apparent amusement. No making anything up, everything is exactly where it should be, as it should be, and with no more panache then need be.

 

Once the push-ups are completed, he rises to his knees and drags his gym bag closer.  Upon opening it, he removes a worn, battered wooden tonfa that has certainly seen better days.  The man then stands again and begins another kata, this time with the tonfa whirling and spinning through a series of strikes, blocks and sweeps.  The movements are so fast that the weapon audibly whistles through the air, many of the maneuvers little more than a blur.  As before, the traditional kata lasts but a few moments before Neil begins adlibbing again, responding to a circle of imaginary attackers by interspersing kicks and freehand strikes with tonfa moves.  This routine continues on for quite some time, actually drawing glances from a few of the other people in the gym.  Not only is it rather untraditional, but it also showcases the man's extraordinary reflexes.

 

Toshie eventually finishes up, sliding quietly to a halt. Lips purse to blow a stray lock of blue-tipped hair that had managed to free itself from her tie away from her cheek with a negligent puff. She moves back to continue her nearly ritualistic movements, slipping from one form to the next and now not paying a wit of attention to the other man. Everyone else can gape all they wish. She already did her gawking and is now quite done with it.

 

The downside of such energetic, improvised routines?  They leave the artist rather worn out afterwards.  When he's satisfied with the tonfa workout, Neil tosses the weapon onto the bag then just stands there for a moment, breathing a bit heavily as he brushes the back of one hand across his forehead to wipe away a few beads of sweat.  Now is the point when he settles back down and begins to do some serious stretching, either as a cool-down from his workout or a warm-up for more practice.  Now he once again has leisre to look around, automatically discounting the people in the room who are merely stretching, performing an aerobic workout or practicing meditative Tai Chi.  Which leaves only a few other people to observe.  One of which happens to be nearby, female, and cute.  Better than Wednesday night tv certainly.

 

Hopefully he doesn't mean Tosh, cause if she ever heard she was being compared to television, she might just let a little pigeon give him a bit of a dive-bomb present as he leaves out the door. Good thing she can't read minds. She finishes with her second kata though, and then slides into position for yet a third flawless one... only to feel as if another's eyes are upon her. The teenager turns her head just a little to eye Neil with an openly assessing glance once again, dark eyebrows lifted in question. "Yes?"

 

"Just admiring," he replies candidly.  After a moment, he adds, "Your technique."  Mmhm, right.  "Competitive style or practical application?"  The man gives up stretching altogether, instead settling into a cross-legged position.  Again, a hand is brushed across his forehead, this time shoving aside a few sweat-soaked locks of his bright hair.  "Please continue."

 

Toshie doesn't often talk while going through her forms. In fact, she really tries not to. Instead, she hesitates a little longer, so while watching him push aside his hair, she nearly mimics but only to tuck that one bit behind her ear yet again. "Practical, mostly." Mostly. She hesitates a moment longer, seems to fidget, and then adds, "You are good." Seemingly satisfied at her responses, she resumes.

 

Neil's laughter is perhaps a bit louder than he intended, since he cuts it off abruptly.  "You can't tell anything from practice," he comments to the young woman, who may or may not even be paying any further attention to him.  "I've seen some of the most beautiful movements come from people who wouldn't last two seconds in a street-fight.  And I've also seen a guy with no technique at all mop the pavement with a cocky blackbelt.  Without an actual opponent, there's no real way to tell how good someone is."  The words are serious, but the tone is light, even flippant.  "Judging by practice along, you seem to be pretty good, too."  That could be taken as a compliment or an insult, considering her previous comments.

 

Toshie starts to a halt once more, especially as she is fairly sure she is being laughed at. The girl peers down at him for a moment, for a very, very long moment. "I have not had reason to use my skills in a... street fight, as you say." No, but she did knock Gouka out once and did give Kieran quite the chop that other time. But... There is a definite frown of annoyance drawing at her lips, "You are mocking me."

 

"I don't mock," Neil asserts.  Ironically, now that he's gotten his breath back, his midwestern accent starts to shine through; he can't drop the accent on purpose (much to his chagrin), but it seems to fade on its own when he's breathing heavily.  Probably because it forces him to talk more slowly.  "I just got a really bad habit of bein' honest.  And usually speaking before m'brain tells me to shut up before I make an ass of myself."  Such as right now.  "I'm sorry if ya thought I was bein' mean on purpose."

 

Toshie lifts her chin just a tad as she peers down at the man. "Honest?" Her lips purse for a moment as if in thought, and then the girl finally does actually nod her head. "I do not have that much experience with combat. I would certainly like to... but other than the traditional sparring here in a place such as this? No." Her head shakes from side to side. "It would be more useful to me," she admits with a faint frown.

 

Neil chuckles again, this time much more quietly than before.  "Y'don't look for that kinda trouble, it looks for you.  Stick with practice and sparring; it helps, even if it isn't th' real thing.  Looking for a real fight, or asking for one, just t'see how good you are or how much better you need to be is a sure way to get hurt."  Uncrossing his legs, he slowly stands up.  "Name's Neil, by th' way.  If y'want some plain sparring, I'd be willing to offer you a target to hit, but no real fighting, alright?  I don't want to hurt you, an' I get more'n enough bruises as it is without looking fer more."

 

 

7/24/2003

12:36 PM

Logfile from Toshie.

 

Toshie shakes her head from side to side, "I am not the one who looks for trouble." No, that is left to all of the others. "No, for... defensive purposes, or need. The need has arose before, and while I tend to catch the other person off guard, I may meet up someone who is prepared." They just don't expect it from the dimpled girl. She seems to consider for a moment and then adds. "Toshie. Nice to meet you, Neil."

 

Neil offers a traditional Japanese bow to the young woman; further evidence that he's received at least some formal martial arts training despite his rather atypical techniques.  "Good to meet you as well... Toshie?  Odd name."  Well, it is!  "Almost ev'ryone who lives in this city comes across a problem now an' again that can be solved through a bit of violence, but I gotta admit I'm glad you aren't one uv those people who put yourself in harm's way on purpose.  As it is, even just a little training serves most people pretty well, since the av'rage mugger don't know anything other'n how t' point a knife at someone, and you look like ya know far more than just a little.  But you sh'd at least try t'spar a bit more if you don' do it too often."

 

"Not so odd as Neil," Tosh counters right on back, her chin lifting just a little. "For you are the first Neil that I have ever met." Fingers tuck that little bit of hair back for about the third time as she considers him, bowing right on back. "Not unless it is necessary would I do that." She patches up enough of those who get into 'harm's way' as it is without her doing the same. "I have been practicing the martial arts for ten years now, but no... not so much sparring. That was always unnecessary."

 

Neil is duly impressed.  "Ten years?  Hell that's th' same amount of time as me.  'Course, I didn't even get started 'til I was prolly about how old you are now, maybe even a bit older.  A lot of my training's been a bit too hands-on though, if y'know what I mean, so my form's far from perfect, but I ain't half bad."  He strolls a bit closer.  "And Neil's not that uncommon.  Leastwise, not in the midwest."

 

Toshie nods her head in affirmation as she watches the man come a little bit closer. "Yes, awhile. But, admittedly, this past year I had not practiced at all, and only started once more a pair of months ago. I was sidetracked." Yes, she admits that with an almost embarrassed grin. A faint smile shows once more, "Hands on? You act as though you actually do fight?... Do you?"

 

"When I have to," he admits.  "I head up th' security for a night club currently, so that gives me cause t'hafta lay my hands on people now'n again.  Before that, though, I did a little stint in the milit'ry.  The lovely US government made sure I had plenty of opportunities to hone m'skills."  This is all spoken casually, not with pride nor regret.  "My own practice tend to be as sporadic as yers is, so don't feel bad.  Life happens."

 

Toshie's eyes round as he listens to his explanation. "Ooooooh." And there is definitely a touch of an impressed sound to her voice. "Well, yes, I imagine that you have had plenty of experience then." She shifts her weight from one foot to the other for a moment there, and then adds, leaning toward him just a little, "No. For me, just in the dojo and that is all."

 

Neil looks the young woman up and down again, the gaze somehow appreciative and critical at the same time.  "Y'know, if yer any good, I c'd use another assistant."  And judging by the fluidity of her practice, he's guessing she is indeed more than just 'pretty good', if she can apply what she knows to real situations.  "'Specially one that the customers'd never suspect of being a bouncer.  Big burly men tend t'make the clientele nervous, but with yer looks, they'd prolly guess you're an off-duty dancer.  And it might give you a chance t' put some of your training into real use."

 

Neil looks the young woman up and down again, the gaze somehow appreciative and critical at the same time.  "Y'know, if yer any good, I c'd use another assistant."  And judging by the fluidity of her practice, he's guessing she is indeed more than just 'pretty good', if she can apply what she knows to real situations.  "'Specially one that the customers'd never suspect of being a bouncer.  Big burly men tend t'make the clientele nervous, but with yer looks, they'd prolly guess you're an off-duty dancer.  And it might give you a chance t' put some of your training into real use."

 

Toshie blinks at Neil for a long moment, and then blinks again. "What?" Okay, she definitely was caught off guard there. Fingers come over to fiddle with the hemline of her shirt as she regards Neil, "And assistant? Bouncer?" The last thing she ever expected to get was a job offer. "At this night club that you work at?" Tickle her surprised. "I... I mean... You are joking, right?"

 

"Why would I be joking?  Most nightclubs hire off-duty or retired cops, or outta work boxers, to serve as security.  But this place tries for a better atmosphere, y'know?  While I'm not scrawny, I know I also don't exactly look like yer typical doorman, and there's already a female bouncer at the club.  So it's not like I'd be doing anything unusual by hirin' a girl.  It's just a thought, though.  If you're not interested, just say th' word."  After a slight pause, Neil then adds, "Of if you think y'd prefer being on stage, if y'dance as smoothly as you practice, I should be able to get ya an audition.  I'm sure men'd pay money to watch you take some clothes off."  Tact.  No matter how much his friends try, they still haven't taught him tact.

 

Toshie's eyes nearly pop right out of her head. "Ehhh?" She can just hear the news services getting a hold of that information. Star gymnast stripping in some night club. There goes the Olympic career. Her mouth opens to tell him in no uncertain terms No, but she hesitates, and it shows. Maybe? Maybe? Then comes the vigorous head-shaking, and an almost embarrassed smile over actually thinking about it. "No, no thank you." Yes, the girl is actually blushing some. But she licks her lips, eyeing Neil sidelong, "A bouncer though?"

 

Neil nods. "If yer actually any good," he clarifies.  "I'd have to spar with ya a bit to see if you'd have what it takes to handle an unruly customer.  Most of the guys and girls who come t'this place aren't the troublemakin' sort anyway, so the job's mostly pretty boring, but every now and then, some jackass drinks a bit too much and decides he wants more'n just a lapdance, or a punk kid tries to force his way in without paying the cover or flashing ID."  He also explains, "The boss'd have to inteview you, too.  Background check, yadda yadda, but nothing outta the ordinary.  And if y'change yourmind about dancing, y'can always discuss that with the bosslady later."

 

Toshie has been thinking lately that he has been mooching off of her guardians quite a bit. And this would be better than getting some job asking 'Do you want fries with that?' She shrugs her shoulders at the interview process and background, dismissing it. "That is fine. I... I could use the experience." Her eyes drop as she considers the possibilities of this. "Would this be part-time? I have a demanding schedule at times?"

 

"Part-time's what I was figuring.  If yer taking classes or something like that, this shouldn't conflict at all.  The club's only open at night, and I only need another person for 'bout three night a week, if y'can pull a full shift.  Five nights if you'd only be able t'do partial shifts."  Neil then belatedly asks a question he should've posed in the beginning.  "You are at least eighteen, right?"

 

"I... How about a trial run? I have Worlds next month, and Coach will be demanding most of my attention until then. They are necessary," Tosh replies, tapping a finger to her chin in thought. "Maybe a couple of hours for those three nights a week, just to see if I would work well there, or if it would work for me as well?" As for the last question, Tosh lies without a second thought. "Yes. Just that."

 

 

7/24/2003

09:15 PM

Logfile from Toshie.

 

 

Neil looks at least slightly puzzled.  "Worlds?  What's that?"  The realm of athletics is definitely not his area of expertise.  "A trial run's fine by me, though, if the bosslady's okay with it.  You see how well ya mesh with us, and we see if yer worth the time an' effort of hiring as a long-term employee.  Just t'warn you in advance...  Ms. Breslin runs a tight ship.  If y'ever think of trying to make a quick buck by meetin' any of th' clients after hours, forget about it.  She don't take that sorta crap from her dancers, and she sure as hell isn't gonna take it from her security staff."  It's not that Neil's accusing the girl of anything, he just though he'd offer that piece of information -- and his delivery is as poor as usual.

 

Toshie nods her head slowly to him, "But you seem to think that I might be able to fit in well there though? Otherwise you would not have asked me, right?" The girl blinks at his later words, looking confused for a moment, and then as realization hits, she scowls. Oh, how she scowls. Any other woman would probably have slapped the guy, but this is Tosh, and she isn't exactly the most violent sort. "No. That would not be something that I would do, but thank you for letting me know about that."

 

"Yer quick on your feet, at least from this chat you've shown that you got a good head on your shoulders, and y've got the right attitude."  A smirk snakes its way across Neil's face.  "I've got terminal foot-in-mouth disease, as m'girlfriend likes to tell me, but y'haven't once yelled at me or anything like that.  It suggests that y'd handle problem clients well, without getting all upset at 'em and over-reacting."  Almost as an afterthought he adds, "And you got a sweet bod, which always helps when the place yer looking to work at is an exotic dance club.  And no need to thank me; I just wanna make sure you don't have the wrong idea about the place.  If it was a trashy club, I'd definitely not let my girlfriend work there."

 

Toshie might not have yelled at him, but there was a couple of moments when she was surely tempted to walk away. She blinks at him for a moment and then speaks, "So, would you like to try once to see if I might be acceptable in handling someone who could be a problem? Now? Or when I go to have my... interview?"

 

"Sparring first.  If ya can't handle yourself in a real fight as well as you practice, then it's not even worth bothering th' boss for an interview.  What good'd security be if they can't provide security?"  With that, Neil automatically settles into a defensive Aikido stance.  "So, Tosh, bring it on if you're interested.  If not, I'll let ya go back to your practice.  And don't worry 'bout taking it easy on me; I wanna see what you can do, so holding back sorta defeats the purpose of this."

 

Toshie nods her head in acceptance. Having witnessed the man's earlier exertions upon the floor mat, there is definitely a wariness in her eyes. "Then sparring it is." Another bob of her head along with a bow, and the slight girl approaches a little closer. She side steps to the side, moving as if to round on the man's side, although she expects him to turn with her. "Bring it on?" An eyebrow quirks in challenge. "Do all of you people say that when you want to get into something of a fight? That sounds almost ridiculous. Bring it on." A sniff, and then she darts towards him, looking as though she is about to aim a blow towards the left side of his abdomen.

 

He does remain in the defensive stance, right foot placed slightly ahead of the left and both arms held at the ready, but Neil makes no overy move to block or dodge the possible attack.  He is watching Toshie's movements carefully, however, gauging her speed, balance and precision, but he's leaving himself wide open as a result.  "It sounds better'n 'Let's get down an' boogie', don't it?"

 

Toshie actually breaks out into a grin, almost sly although those dimples tend to make it look more girlish than that. "Isn't that what they say when someone wishes to dance? Or other things?" She is so seriously tempted to roll her eyes, but doesn't because that would be just opening herself up for getting trounced. Figuring that this guy is more than likely stronger than her at least, she is simply going to have to hope that she can end this quickly. She darts in suddenly, making a grab for his wrist with the intent to try to twist it away.

 

Neil permits the girl's hand to wrap around his wrist, but before she can use it to her advantage, he locks his own hand on her wrist in return, pivoting to the side to draw her past him.  "I hate t'dance, and if I asked ya to boogie in any other way, I'd get thrown through a wall.  My girlfriend's the female bouncer I was tellin' ya about b'fore."  And it wouldn't be the first time the redhead was used as a demolition ball, that's for certain.

 

Toshie moves past him with the momentum as he moves away, but a foot snakes out to try to catch around his ankle as he does so. "Oh, I love to dance. And I am good at it," replies without a touch of ego. No, she simply knows that this is the truth. Nah, she'll leave the ego to all of the rest of her companions.

 

Without letting go of Toshie's arm, Neil tries to avoid the foot but is only marginally successful.  He stumbles back a bit, opting to let go of the girl rather than have both of them tumble to the ground.  He doesn't avoid his own fall, however, instead opting to turn it into a controlled tumbled ending with the man on his feet a couple yards away, already slipping back into the defensive stance.  "So far yer as good as I expected," he notes with a grin and a gleam in his eyes.  "Y'sure you don't wanna try out as one of th' dancers on stage?  You like to dance, y'move well, and if I wasn't taken I'd love to pin ya to the mat...  'Course, I need a bouncer more'n the club needs another dancer, so ferget I said that."  Let the match continue.

 

Toshie moves forward another pace as he lets go, turning about quickly to face him once more. As he is tumbling away though, she is already lunging forward for another attack, not giving him much of a moment after he does get into that stance. "But I do not need experience dancing, I need experience doing /this/." Heck, she would even do it for free for the experience, but obviously that isn't getting mentioned. A punch is aimed at his chest and then a sweeping kick along the floor at his feet.

 

A forearm sweep adequately protects Neil fro the chest strike, leaving him free to agilely leap over the sweep, timing the jump just right to land on the girl's leg rather than avoid it entirely... except she's a bit too quick.  One eyebrow rises as he whistles in appreciation.  "Damn, girl, yer almost as swift as I am."  Well, duh, she /is/ a highly-skilled gymnast.  "But whatcha gonna do about..."  As soon as his feet are hitting the mat again, he 'stumbles' forward to place himself within Toshie's guard - but placing her within his own guard as well.  One hand comes up in an eagle-claw strike, aimed right for her decidedly feminine chest while the other slips down, reaching for the waistband of her clothing.  He's studying her survival skills and reaction, not just her technique, hence the unorthodox moves.  There's no other motivation.  Nope.  Not at all.