SITN8
Disclaimer: "How do you do I, see you've met my, faithful handyman. He's just a little brought down because, when you knocked, he thought you were the candy man." Tyr saunters across the set in fishnet and a corset. Yeah, thought you might figure that one out for yourself.
Author's Note: Reviews make for more chapters, at an exponentially accelerated rate.
Regina looked around expectantly as she entered the gym. Like all ships of Nietzchean design, quite a lot of cubage had been allotted to the physical maintenance of the crew, so it took her a moment to find Tyr. He was toward the back of the room, experimenting with Ice's fully articulated practice dummy while Callisto offered advice. She should have known that it would fascinate him. It was her favorite workout tool, and quite possibly the best thing to train with. You didn't have to worry about breaking bones or pulling arms out of their sockets with the dummy. You could work on your joint lock techniques full force, and at top speed. It was attached to the ceiling by a coiled spring, so you could even practice takedowns. Tyr moved with that precise economy of motion that was the hallmark of an excellent fighter. Regina watched Tyr lock up the dummy's right arm and kick the nerve bundle in the exposed armpit. He was fast, and had none of the awkwardness or lack of range of motion that tended to plague large-muscled men. She continued to observe, trying to get a feel for his timing, and just for the joy of watching. He was so beautifully masculine; she could stare at him for days.
The door opened behind Regina, and Diane stepped in with a tall, blade-thin albino male. He was almost androgynous, and his clothing assisted the illusion. He wore a tunic and pants made of variegated grey fabric, even his boots, weapons belt, and weapons were all done in greys. His eyes bore that faintest hint of blue, like frost on a granite boulder will look in the predawn light. He was the only male crewing with the Boadicca. All the others were infertile female Nietzcheans or human women. He had been serving as Weapons Officer on the Boadicca since before Regina was born. Ice was really the only constant male influence in her life. He was also the most incredibly cold and merciless person Regina had ever met. He was the only one who never said 'It's not your fault,' about her living through the Magog attack. Instead he said, 'Just because you survived that don't think you can relax.' He had never tried to behave like a father to her, but he had done the next best thing, he had become her teacher in the art of survival. He had given her a way to channel all the rage, hate, and guilt. Ice had given her the tools to fight back against a brutal, uncaring universe. .
"Come to critique my form, Ice?" Regina asked without ever taking her eyes off Tyr.
"At least you're taking the time to observe how he moves before getting into the ring with him. So far I cannot fault you. Always observe the enemy before engaging him in battle. I do question the wisdom of this match occurring so soon after your return to consciousness." Ice said calmly, his eyes taking in Tyr's movements as well.
"I'm fine." Regina said crossly. Part of her was still angry about not somehow knowing the bottle was coming. She was afraid that Ice would be disappointed in her for not dodging it.
Ice gave her a knowing look. He heard the shades of recrimination in her tone. "So Diane has assured me."
"Are you questioning my judgment of her condition?" Diane asked in a hard voice.
"To each his own area of expertise Doctor. I simply find that healed does not mean fully recovered in all instances." Ice replied coldly. He felt that Diane had no business clearing Regina for kumite after reading the medical report. The trauma may have been healed, but she had still lost a lot of blood.
"I am fully recovered. Trust me to know my own body, if nothing else. There is no fatigue." Regina understood his concern, but it was groundless. She felt fine. No, better than fine, lighter maybe? It was as if finally telling someone about Machi had lifted a weight she had not realized she was carrying. Part of her still believed that Machi was right, but it wasn't eating away at her like acid any more.
"If you feel unduly tired at any point during the match, bow out. If you don't I will make you wish you had." In truth he was anticipating the sparring, now that he knew she was not suffering any lingering effects. Regina had advanced so far in hand-to-hand that he was the only one who could make her work for points any more, and age was beginning to catch up with him. The chance to watch his protégée spar with a Nietzchean ex-mercenary in his prime was enough to pry him away from the antique blade shopping he had been doing when Diane had commed him.
"I promise, Ice." Regina said and purred with approval as Tyr performed a brutal move-through on the dummy. That man just got better looking every minute.
"So Chimera-child, were you planning to stand here all day, or follow my advice?" Diane asked loudly. She had not missed the feminine interest in Regina's eyes, nor that purr. It was the most approval she had shown regarding a Nietzchean male in two years. After their little talk, Regina's insistence on being human made sense, but she would rather see a return to her considering herself Nietzchean. Perhaps this was the first step.
"What advice?" Ice asked. Callisto and Tyr had heard the loud question, and had both turned in their direction.
"Diane, if you say anything else, I will have to run out and bolster my sense of self esteem." Regina said softly, and gave her a warning glare.
"Far be it from me to say another word on the subject." Diane replied with a chuckle.
Regina strode forward, ignoring the soft laughter from her friend, and the slightly puzzled look from Ice. She hoped Diane would refrain from explaining it to him; Ice would ride her ass about letting someone else define her sense of self worth until the sun around her birth world went nova.
"No one would believe you were severely injured only a few hours ago." Callisto said with pleasure, as she looked Regina over. She had wondered if she was going to wear her usual workout clothes, or if Regina would 'dress up'. Apparently she had decided against the baggy sweats and t-shirt look in favor of something more formal. She was wearing the black silk gi pants from her tournament gear, sans the top. In its place was a tank top. The dark green of the tank made her green eyes seem luminous. Instead of the habitual bun, she had braided and clubbed it at the back of her neck, which she only bothered to do when she planned on fighting hard enough to be concerned about the hairsticks coming out and hurting someone. It was an interesting mix of formal and practical, and told her a lot about how Regina viewed the coming match.
"I was not severely injured. Severely injured implies loss of limb or a need for organ replacement, which I would just as soon not suffer again, thank you very much. Hell, I'm probably about to take more abuse in a few minutes than I did in that bar." Regina rolled her eyes. In the early days of her training with Ice she had been in and out of medical with much worse than a concussion and a stab wound. Ice taught old school, hit them until they learn to dodge or parry.
"I will strive not to render you unconscious. It is hard to learn while in that condition." Tyr said with a smile. It was nice to know what she considered severe injury. He was actually looking forward to sparring with her. From what he had observed before the thrown bottle had taken her out of commission, she had excellent hand-to-hand skills. Couple that with her heavier bone and muscle structure, and she could be formidable.
"Thank you for your consideration." Regina replied dryly.
"You're welcome. Shall we?" Tyr asked as he gestured toward the ring.
"By all means, lets." Regina replied as she moved into the circle.
