I do not own Once Upon a Time.
And the last lesson. New people who have been in lessons for the past few days, so friendships are starting.
One would think Whale was worn out by the fourth and final day of workshops. But shockingly he wasn't. Bow and Arrow never recruited before so the expansion was exciting. Yes, their newest foe was on the dangerous side so they did need all the help they could get.
Amelia sat on the floor stretching. Graham had warned her ahead of time to dress comfortably for this workshop. This was the one she had been looking forward to all week. No more sitting behind a screen or missions in the park or looking for bugs. This was how you stopped people, you took them down.
Emma had the same idea, to stretch beforehand. The women had already bonded a bit the past few days, they had similar experiences. Let's see how well they fought.
Then there was Archie. While he was a nice guy, he was too nice. He belonged behind a desk and away from the action. But this was part of the training. He had to put up with it.
Whale entered the room and saw today's students. The punching bags were back up; those were going to come in handy. "Good morning, I hope everyone got enough sleep. Does anyone have any prior knowledge of fighting?"
"A little." Amelia answered. You don't work for the mob and not learn a few moves.
"I saw your brother's fighting style, it's sloppy and..." Whale would have said more if Amelia hadn't punched him.
"Don't talk about my brother like that, ever." Amelia growled.
"Don't let your anger cloud your judgment." Whale said, picking himself off the floor. He then started the lesson like nothing had happened. "You need to learn your stance, keep your hands up in front of your face, at least above your chin and keep your elbows in. Have your left foot forward and your right foot back if you are right handed, the opposite if you are left handed. Keep your knees bent at all time." He demonstrated the stance, expecting everything to mimic. They all did, Amelia was the last one with a huff. "Archie, when clenching your fist, thumb gets curled under your fingers. Otherwise it could break."
They threw punches for a while, before throwing them at the actual punching bags.
Then it was on to basic kicks. "Despite what you may think, round house kicks are from your shin not your foot. There are three kicking areas that will inflict the more damage, the leg, the midsection and the head. Go for the leg right above the knee, if not you will get hurt also. The ribs are a very vulnerable spot on the midsection. And the head is only if you are flexible. We only use these skills to defend, never for attack."
Whale then sparred off with each of them in turn. They all had their strengths and weaknesses.
The door opened and Robin popped his head in. "You wanted to see me, Whale?"
"Yes, Robin. I need your help. They need a different opponent. You up for it?"
Robin looked at the group. Archie didn't seem like a threat; Emma he was unsure about. And Amelia… well she terrified him. "Sure, whenever you are ready, Doctor Hopper." He put his fists up.
At least Robin was helpful and encouraging. He pointed out issues and how to avoid them. Emma had really good form and self-control.
Was Robin surprised when Amelia gave him a round house kick to the head? No, not really. Whale, Archie and Emma were impressed.
She reached down to help Robin up. "Are we okay?" Amelia didn't want to ruin a friendship over a workshop exercise.
"Yeah, just get me an ice pack." Robin gently touched his head. Emma threw an ice pack in Amelia's direction.
They all walked out of the office that Friday with most bruises than they thought.
Yeah, I love Amelia. She gets the job done. Information on the mission is coming up next and teams working together. So excited for the plot to be moving forward.
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