Clint peeled his eyes open as soon as he could sense the morning sunlight coming in through the dirty windows. He was awake; no doubt about it, but what he didn't know was that he wasn't the first to rise. Slowly, he rolled on his side to stand up and yawn.

"Morning, sunshine. I was wondering when you'd bother waking up."

"Jesus, kid!" Clint had fallen over in shock and hit his head on the coffee table. "What are you doing up so early?"

She shrugged. "I was hungry-see?" She held up a leftover chicken nugget for proof.

"Chicken nuggets at nine in the morning? Sounds a little unhealthy, don't you think?"

He only earned a shrug in response.

"Right. Well, is there any coffee left?"

"Hmm? Oh, I think so." The scent was so strong, it was almost tangible. It wafted through the dank room and drew Clint to the kitchen, where the coffee machine was perched on the counter. With a stifled yawn, he grabbed a mug and started to pour himself his own cup.

"So are we doing more training today?"

"Yeah, just give me a minute to wake up." Taking a long chug, he slammed the mug on the counter and rubbed his hands together. She munched on the last of the chicken nuggets, until Clint asked if she was finished with the makeshift breakfast. In a few minutes, they pushed the old furniture as closely to the walls as possible and tucked away anything that could become a last minute hazard while training. It wasn't completely safe for combat training, but Clint could train any operative in any situation if he really needed to.

"So what are we starting with today? A knife, a gun, a bow and arrow-"

"Basic defense skills. Hand to hand combat, nothing too complicated."

"But why can't I learn how to use any of the cool stuff?"

"Because you always have to start with the basics. And you're not always going to have a weapon at your disposal, but you'll most likely have your arms and legs."

Anise's eyes widened. "Most likely? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You never know." He said, chuckling.

She just stared back, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Well, alright then. Let's get to training then."

"Sure. Now, what's the number one rule I taught you?"

"Always be aware of your surroundings."

"Good. Remember that and you've got a good head start on your opponent. Now what?"

"If you can, stay on your feet. Keep your attacker where you can see them-"

"And?"

"And don't fight if you don't have to."

He nodded with approval. "Good. Now let's practice some basic moves." He made a mock stance, as if coming to attack Anise. "Imagine that I'm the attacker."
"Alright-"

"And don't go easy on me, I can take a hit."

"Wasn't planning on it." Anise smirked, flashing her pearly whites. Clint just laughed in response.

She started walking in a circle, arms loose and at her sides. Clint followed her movements, keeping his arms out in front of him. Sometimes he would turn the other direction, sometimes fake a movement and make Anise stagger, but he didn't attack right away. As they kept turning in circles, he made a last minute move after she tripped on a dent in the carpet. He dropped to his knees and swiped one leg to kick out both of hers from under her. Within an instant, she had fallen over and he stood back up, satisfied with himself.

"What did I say about staying on your feet?"

She huffed, moving quickly to stand up again. "I know, I just tripped. Sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to cut it. Let's try again, and no tripping, got it?"

"Alright."

They returned to their original stances and continued to go through the exercise until they achieved the desired results. It was difficult for Anise to keep up with the master assassin, but after a few tries, she managed to trip him instead. They trained like this for the rest of the day (with some breaks for lunch and dinner, of course), until they could barely manage to stand on both feet. The digital clock signaled 10:13 pm on the nearby nightstand when they had finished.

"Good job today. I'll teach you some more basics tomorrow."

She let out an annoyed moan in response. "Why can't I learn any of the fun stuff?"

"Because you can barely manage the stuff they teach you in level one karate-and that's for kindergarteners and first graders, by the way."

"Hey!"

Clint snickered. "Well, it's true!"

She stuck her tongue out in response. He rolled his eyes, flipping on the television to watch some late night news. As Anise curled back into the couch for some well-deserved sleep, Clint heard a small whisper.

"Hey Clint?"

"Yeah?"

"…thanks."

"For what?"

"For the training. I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it."

He could've sworn he heard a small giggle, but he didn't make a big deal out of it. The soft breathing blended in with the droning voice of the newscaster, and before he knew it, Clint was asleep too.