PNPC Lieutenant Ishkabela Journs: Nice Sparring With You
Lael Rosek
((Holodeck 2, Deck 6, USS Atlantis, In orbit of Ilara Prime, Par’tha Expanse))
{{Time Index: Day 7 of Shoreleave, Late Evening}}
Ishka scowled in frustration as she once again landed on her back. After Rosek’s unexpected arrival in Sickbay earlier, she was feeling the need to relieve some tension. It had taken everything she’d had to be civil and professional with the woman. She’d known she was aboard, of course. But being physically Rosek’s presence had been a different matter entirely.
Part of it, she knew, was jealousy. Rosek was very attractive and had an elegance and a grace that made her feel mousy by comparison. The fact that Ishka had spent most of the last hour on her back spoke to that. She was clumsy and tripped over her own feet so much that it was embarrassing. A bright flush filled her cheeks, clashing terribly with her red hair.
Journs: ::breathily:: Computer, pause program.
A chirp confirmed that the computer had recognized the command. Immediately, the scene froze, allowing Ishka to rise to her feet. Her chest heaved from the exertion, sweat running down her face and neck. She strode toward the bench where she’d set her water, taking a long pull from the bottle’s spout.
She was wiping her face and neck with the towel when she heard the sound of the holodeck doors opening. She smiled at the new arrival and inclined her head.
Journs: Good evening.
McKnight: Hello, Doc. Working out? You looked like someone's been throwing you around.
She glanced toward the frozen figure, an unamused grin crossing her lips.
Journs: Combat clearly isn’t my strong suit. Give me a phaser any day of the week.
McKnight: There's no shame in asking for help. You got Raga.
Journs: ::shakes her head:: I don’t want Toryn putting himself in danger for me if I can handle it myself. Besides, he’s got enough people to worry about without adding me to that list.
Rosek coming aboard had increased her desire to become more skilled in hand to hand. She knew that she’d never reach the other woman’s level of expertise, but she was damned determined to try
McKnight: Fair enough.
For a long moment, she said nothing, wiping the perspiration from her face and neck. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy his company. He was pleasant enough to be around and never made her feel judged or wrong. That was certainly several steps up from how she’d felt back home. But this was the first time she’d encountered him after duty. It was possible that was because they had different duty shifts most of the time. However, she wondered if there wasn’t a deeper reason.
Journs: I don’t typically see you out and about this late unless you’re on duty. Is everything all right?
McKnight: I'm here to blow off some steam. I think my girl's avoiding me. Not sure what I did.
It showed how little she really knew about his personal. She didn’t even know he had a girl to avoid him. Yes, he was attractive and any number of other things that typically drew women to a man. But he’d never seemed the type for anything serious. Showed what she knew, she supposed.
McKnight: I could give you some pointers. You could of just call up a hologram teacher.
His abrupt change of the topic didn’t go unnoticed. Not all men were talkers. Especially when it came to feelings. Amuro likely needed time to process. And a distraction, which it looked like her own quandary could provide. Typically, she’d have declined his offer, but if she could help him even in what appeared to her to be a small, insignificant way, she was happy to do it.
Journs: ::smiles and nods:: I wouldn’t say no if you’re up for that. With your background, you could definitely help.
McKnight: A few things, small things.
Journs: Wherever makes the most sense is fine by me. ::smiles and bows slightly:: Teach me, saĝa instruisto.
McKnight: Esperanto?
Journs: ::inclines her head:: It means wise teacher.
McKnight: Interesting. Show me your form.
She nodded, dropping into the stance that she’d been using, bringing her fists up as she usually did in preparation for facing an opponent. When she was settled, she lifted her gaze to Amuro’s.
Journs: Like this?
McKnight: That's fine, but you need to be more aware of who you're fighting. If it's one person or a group. You need to be flexible and be able to move on a dime.
She nodded, adjusting her stance. It made sense. Maybe she’d been looking at this all wrong. She thought back to how she’d seen Toryn fight. He was more aggressive in his attacks, but she supposed that was because he had more strength than she did. There was no way she’d be able to match him for sheer strength. Amuro was right. She had to rely on agility with both her attacks and her defense.
The shove surprised her and she barely managed to keep her feet. She grimaced, realizing how easily she could be taken down by trying so hard to stay grounded.
McKnight: My grandfather is a Klingon. He taught me that every move has to have power behind it. Even standing, you are never completely still. You're reserving your strength so you can act quickly with everything you got. That is Mok'bar.
She nodded. She was unfamiliar with Klingon martial arts forms, only having simulations of the styles from her homeworld to study. Though she’d received some training from Maddy before she’d left, Ishka was mostly self-taught. Most of what she knew she’d picked up from reading and practice.
He transitioned into another series of movements, these more graceful and more in line with what she’d expect from a trained martial artist. She watched, fascinated. Some of the moves reminded her of Juio, a more graceful and less brutal martial art on Leya-I. Her father had always scoffed at her interest in it. The particular fighting style was more self-indulgent and focused on the satisfaction of winning.
McKnight: No my grandmother is Vulcan. She taught me you need to be observant. Take in everything. Never rush into a fight and never be in a hurry. Your objective in any fight is to end it quickly, but it doesn't mean charging head first without a plan. Know yourself first, then your enemy. Anticipate. And counter. You turn your opponent's strength against them. This is Suus Mahna
She did her best to follow what he was saying, focusing on linking the two distinct styles. Without much experience in any form of martial arts, she wasn’t sure what approach fit her particular physique. She supposed in time she would find her own rhythm and style.
McKnight: The key thing is maintaining focus even when thrown off balance physically, you are not unbalanced mentally.
Journs: ::pauses:: Maybe it would connect more if you show me? I’m more of a kinesthetic learner.
McKnight: Good point. I'll start easy on you. Now focus and observe me. I'll be making mistakes for you. Just remember what I said and don't forget to follow through.
Nodding, she dropped into her stance, this time more aware of where her weight was distributed. She brought her center of gravity a bit higher to give herself more freedom of movement, circling him...studying him for weakness. Though she was unlikely to find one, she might get lucky.
She threw out the first punch and then pulled back quickly, testing the waters. After a moment, she struck out at him again, this time kicking at his shin to test his balance.
McKnight: Come on. I'm showing overconfidence. Use that.
She grimaced, certain her uncertainty with all of this was obvious. The main reason she was doing this was to prove she could keep up with Toryn. Fragile female had never been her MO and she wasn’t about to start now. She’d never be as strong or as fast as him. But at least she’d hopefully pick up enough to hold her own. Paying close attention to his body language, she increased the speed and strength of her attacks.
McKnight: So what else you've been using for practice?
Feeling a bit bolder, she used a combo that she’d been working on over the last couple of weeks. She somehow managed to keep her balance and her feet.
Journs: ::shrugs and strikes out, then pulls back:: Mostly this program. I was getting some training from Lieutenant Hyden before she left.
McKnight: And you think you've gotten better?
She didn’t know about better, but she was certainly more determined than ever. It made her uneasy that Amuro wasn’t fighting back. While she’d never personally seen him fight, she imagined that he was much more capable than this. He had said he’d go easier on her at first.
Seeing the opening, she took it in spite of her uncertainty and used a combo intended to confuse her opponent so they wouldn’t know where the real attack was coming from. She was surprised that she was able to push him back a bit.
McKnight: Nice moves. Now try that again.
Nodding, she came at him again, repeating the combo, surprised when his movements became more aggressive and less predictable. Her brow furrowed as she increased the speed and aggressiveness of her own movements. He threw a punch and she dodged it, only to have her feet taken out from under her.
McKnight: Now get yourself back up.
Grimacing, she rose gingerly to her feet and rubbed her tailbone. She’d landed funny, causing it to be the primary part of her body that made contact with the mat. Thankfully, it hadn’t been her head. She once again dropped into position, this time more aware of her stance. He’d surprised her once with that move. She was damned and determined that he wouldn’t manage that twice.
McKnight: Good, now come on.
This time when he came at her, she dropped a bit lower to dodge the punch in case he tried the leg sweep and managed to get in a punch to his side before pulling back to avoid his attack. She had strength on her side, even if she wasn’t overly agile. Taking advantage of that, she waited for another opening before landing a kick to the center of his chest.
McKnight: That last one was a bit direct. It might work on someone who's at a lighter weight class than me.
She nodded, taking the suggestion at face value. She could, of course, have used her full strength. However, that ran the risk of hurting him, a fact that she was very aware of. Stepping back into it, she watched his movements for any sign of weakness.
He started to come at her a bit stronger and she had to work that little bit harder to keep up. Unsurprisingly, he was able to land a few strikes in the process, though thankfully nothing that took her off her feet. That was something, she supposed. She’d lost count of how many times opponents had dropped her to the mat during the holodeck programs she’d run.
McKnight: I think that's enough for now.
She dropped her hands and straightened, feeling a bit frustrated. She’d just been starting to get a rhythm. If he hadn’t stopped her, she might have been able to get him down to the mat at least once.
McKnight: It's not about how long we spar. I can do this all night. It's about focus and learning after each session. Also, I said I was just going to give you some pointers, not a whole lesson.
Nodding sagely, she strode across the room for the towel and wiped her face and chest.
Journs: Toryn will likely be getting off duty soon anyway. ::pauses:: Thank you for the tips. They seemed to help.
McKnight: Response
Journs: Of course. ::smiles:: I’ll see you around, Captain.
McKnight: Response
She grabbed both her water bottle and her towel, then moved to exit the holodeck. Dinner sounded good right about now. Knowing that Toryn would be joining her, she ran through a mental list of dishes from home that he liked.