make the choice to choose

[connatural]

WHO: Ashley Magnus
WHERE: South Village, by the water
WHEN: random Mornings throughout the month
OPEN TO: Everyone
WARNINGS: Updated as needed

---

un: magnus

One more day of this normal routine and I'm going to fucking lose it. South Village. By the mill. Sparring partners needed before I go fucking nuts without work. Any morning from dawn until lunchish.

Ashley never thought about how much of her life was spent constantly on the go. Even in her downtime, she realized she wasn't likely to sit around long, coming up with reasons to get out and move. It's a restlessness that she took for granted when she had the Sanctuary work to do, and an entire city to traverse. Not to mention abnormals to contain, especially with the uptick because of the Cabal before this place.

Now if this place is Cabal or not, she doesn't know, but if it is, they already know what she's capable of so there's reason to hide it.

Mornings start with a run, heading out further each day, taking new routes, trying to not only learn this place but learn every path she might need for any reason. Not to mention the creatures, the resources, anything to keep her on her toes and know what she might need no matter what happens.

By the mill she practices with the few weapons she's gathered, using them in various ways so she knows the heft and weight of them in case. Everything is in case, even if here she has no idea in case of what. There's only so much a person can practice alone, so she hopes sending out that message will draw a few people to practice against. Will keep her on point, not to mention meaning she could get a chance to know more of those here. It's already been eye opening, and she's curious what else this place holds.

Comments

[borneinblood]

He doesn't blame her for seeing him how she does. He might, eventually, see what he can do to at least improve her opinion of him, but just at the moment it's not even so much as a conscious thought. Right now there's only the anger and the pain left behind by each blow he doesn't manage to block, and he's more than willing to let that carry him forward. (He always has been, to be perfectly honest, and the fact that this had been meant to be a simple sparring session doesn't so much as make a difference.)

It's only once she does step back that he lets go of that anger a little. Lets himself step back - albeit more metaphorically than physically - as he takes in the situation as it stands; there's a moment or three of silence and then he speaks up.

"Feeling better?"

It's a question he'd last asked to someone very different, under very different circumstances, but it seems suited to the moment; while he knows they'll both be sore and bruised in a day or two that's very much not what he's asking about. Even if he can only hope she understands his meaning.

[connatural]

Ashley doesn't even try and speak at first, just staring at him as she tries to assess her situation. At first focusing on the physical because that's easier than emotions. Thinking about the way her ribs feel with every breath, the way her hands ache but it's familiar and comforting in its own right. She thinks about how her leg hurts, and that she might limping a bit though she'll fight through it so that others don't see that's she's weaker than she was. After a time though she finally nods, slowly, because in truth, she does feel better. All the aggression that her work normally worked through had been building up for so long that she hadn't realized how much she's been holding in until having an outlet for it. "Yeah, I do," she finally admits out loud, finding her words even if they're not as determined as they might normally be. Pausing a moment, her mind racing over a million things before settling on the only ones she can think of. "Thank you."

[borneinblood]

Druitt doesn't rush her. After the fight they've just had, he's well aware that there's going to need to be a certain amount of assessment involved. And not just on the physical end of things, either - while he and James had grown very much used to their verbal sparring, he's not certain how used to the idea of violence as pressure release Ashley might be. Still, he's perfectly willing to put the anger he'd been drawing on on hold until she finishes thinking.

It's only when she answers that he finally lets go of that anger, letting it fade back into the quiet background hum it usually is. And for all that he notices that her words are, perhaps, not as determined as they would normally be, he doesn't say anything about it. Not when it would most likely just be counterproductive.

"Mmm." There's a nod, too, enough to make it clear that he means it as a sort of non-verbal 'you're welcome'.