The punch was easier to avoid than the earlier kick. Though his stomach ached from where he had been struck, he continued to fight.
He moved out of the way, letting his mother's punch hit the air. Grabbing her arm, Jericho pulled her back before letting her fly across the room. She hit the training may with a thud, and it took her a moment to get back up again.
"I suppose that I deserve that." She stood up, leaning against the wall. "I really deserve that." She chuckled and looked over to him. "How are you feeling, son?"
Jericho simply gave her a thumbs up.
"Need anything?"
He froze for a moment, his hands limp at his side. Finally, he raised a sweaty hand up and formed a "W" with his index, middle, and ring fingers. He tapped it to his chin. Once had finished, he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat; it took two more times to properly get it all the way down.
"I'm on it, Joe; both of us need to stay hydrated." Adeline turned, her dark ponytail swaying. Even after the fight that they had just had, the one where Joseph had put everything that she had taught him to use, she still stood tall and looked unbothered. She turned, looking back at him wide eyed. "Need me to get any bandages? Maybe some ice?"
Joseph nodded. He hadn't actually checked any of his injuries, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
His mother disappeared, giving him a moment to pull himself together. Sweat still ran down his neck and back; even with all the deodorant that he had used earlier, he still stank. He would probably need his inhaler as well; rocks ached his lungs, and his shaking legs were filled with steel.
His mother had said that today's lesson wouldn't be easy.
She just hadn't said that it would be this hard either.
When Adeline returned, she had two bottles of water and a small bag full of medical supplies with her. She was humming a song, though Joseph didn't recognize it.
With one quick throw, the water bottle was flying across the room, and then in Joseph's hands. He uncapped it and took a long drink of water, letting the cool liquid run down his dry throat. Most days, he was always thirsty, but his training days with his mother were the hardest. No matter how much water he drank beforehand, he always ended up with a desert dry throat by the time his lesson was over.
He took another long sip, a bit of the cold water dribbling down his chin.
"Need me to look over any of your bruises? Or can you do that yourself?" A look of worry flashed through her own eyes. Her own water bottle was held near her lips, though she had yet to touch it. "If you need any help, I'm right here."
Joseph pointed to himself and nodded. Walking forward, he took the small bag from his mother and sat down. Digging around inside, he found a number of freshly made ice packs, bandages, and numbing cream. His bright blue inhaler was in there as well, which he pulled out first.
Adeline plopped down beside him. She pulled out some bandages and began to unwind them. "You did great today, Joe."
Joseph smiled.
"You know, I remembered when I first learned this; before I practiced using it, I was terrified."
Joseph raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, it's true! It took me a little while to get used to it." She shrugged. "But hey, those are some useful techniques. I had to learn them, no matter how terrifying. It was better that I knew them then the person that I was fighting."
Slowly, his mother patched up her own wounds. Each movement was slow and careful, and her sharp eyes surveyed every part of her body. Her bruises were smaller than Joseph had expected, and all of them could be easily covered with some form of clothing.
Once he had used his inhaler, he began to work on healing himself. His bruises covered his stomach and the sides of his arms, but they weren't as bad as they could have been. Once they were numb and covered in bandages, they were easy to deal with.
"We'll cover this again in a few days." Adeline grinned. "You're a natural, Joe."
His cheeks blazed, but the blond could not help but smile. Before she could stand up, he wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed her tightly.
"Could you loosen up a little?" Adeline chuckled.
Quickly, Joseph loosened his grip on her. She pulled a little away from his chest, and yet leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Those hugs of yours could choke a man." She smirked. "Maybe you should teach me how to do that sometime."