Late for lifting and sparring

[Diesel]

Ian had to blink a couple of times to no longer see stars. His girl had the right technique and he felt it for sure. "Uh yea little buddy what she said. It's like, when we all fight, and I don't just mean in contests I mean in a real fight, ya gotta get that like fuel to make you wanna do it," he said sitting up and waiting for his healing factor to take care of the fractured bones that resulted in Haven's little lesson. "Like... I dunno its hard to describe. Like remember when we were in Limbo and how crazy it was? The reason that we survived is cause we wanted to survive and we were willing to do everything we could to do it. That was our need for survival kickin' in. What Niki is talkin' about is that you gotta wanna hurt that other person, just so they can feel it enough to get whatever message it is ya wanna get across."

The bones were mending themselves within his body, a feeling that Ian was still getting used to. His healing factor was getting steadily faster over time, and barely a minute later he was halfway healed. "Niki now, like she didn't really wanna hurt me cause we cool and I haven't done anything to piss her off lately. I think." He looked over to her for confirmation. "But she wanted to get a message across, and that was her fuel to do it it. Ya just gotta find that and you'll be good," Ian said with an encouraging smile as he got up. It was all minor fractures so he was sure at this point he'd be okay.

"Anyways I gotta get goin', Pete's probably done with the meeting and all by now and I don't wanna be the one that keeps everyone waiting." Ian bent down slightly and gave Coffee a gentle fist pound. "See ya buddy, take care of these two for me will ya?" He grinned at the large rabbit and straightened to lightly clap Hardlight's shoulder. "Practice some of that move I showed ya okay bro?" Ian said with a grin before snaking his arm around Niki's waist and pulling her forward. "And you." He leaned down and brought his forehead to touch hers. "Be good babe. I mean it, you reached your quota for the week on causing trouble. Give Kevin here a bit of a lesson and be chill with Coffee. Cause all the trouble you want at the barbecue, cause then it'll be too late for them to say ya can't go." Ian had a grin on his face, teasing her a bit before kissing her lightly on the lips. "I'll catch up with ya'll at the barbecue, later," he said when he let Niki go and waved at them while making his way to the garden.

[Hardlight]

Kevin watched the whole thing that Haven did and marvuled at it. She really loved Ian, buy all counts, and yet she had taken no time to decide to make sure to hurt him. Kevin knew it was her way and she never did anything in a soft way, or a half assed way ether not even butter her bread it was said, but he saw that she loved his good friend dearly. It was a too short of a time that they were all together in the gym, but even thouh Kevin loved to be with Haven and Diesel he felt it again. The way he felt when she was with his friend was all weird and gross and he felt all flicted inside in a way.

He liked her and he liked how she was the watchdog of the team, like that she was Ian's sargent at arms and she didn't let any stuff go down that was'nt cool. He was sure she was a good person down deep and she showed it from time to time, but when he wanted to be alone with Ian she was always there, or it seemed like that any how. He did want to make himself apart of her world more thogh, but it always felt strange without Ian there. So when Ian said goodbye and gave Niki a kiss Kevin felt his heart sink a little.

"Yeah, see ya later!" he said and his voice cracked a bit like puberty and he blushed too a little as Ian left. Oh man this is gonna be awkwerd, but mabey not so bad. Niki can be cool, I just gotta try hard to not let on that I miss Ian so much, cause I like to hang out with them both and she might catch on that I'm, well whatever I am with him. Oh hell, I don't want to mess this up. I feel like one of the cool kids when I'm hanging with Haven and Diesel, better make a good show of it or she will cut me out completely.

"So, uh you wanna see if I can flip you? Or did you have some other kinds of sparring in mind?" Kevin raised his eyebrows to look up into her eyes. "I was kind of hoping more of the team would show up, but we got Coffee so he can refferee if you want?" he shruged his shoulders not sure what Haven might have in mind to keep going on. He wondered if he should just take charge and decide, but she was too scary to boss around. Not that she would hurt him, at least he hoped not, but he did'nt want to find out since she loved Ian and he had just watched her break his hands. He put his hands up in a boxing position that Ian had showed him before and asked "Are you ready?" it was the softest way he knew how to go about it.

[Haven]

"I'm always ready Kev, you should know that by now. The big question is... are you?" She put her hands up and grinned at him slightly. Ordinarily she would have just thrown a punch and not wasted the effort or given the opportunity to her opponent to get themselves set. "Let's go Coffee, get your pellet droppin ass over here and lets do this thing."

She didn't want to hurt Kevin, it wasn't like he was an actual threat to her on any level. She knew he could be clever with his power and she relied on that when they were acting as a team, but right now looking at him she just couldn't see him as anyone who might pose a threat. Then she realized that was a problem, for two reasons.

First she knew that if he was as clever as she knew he was, then it could very well be a ploy to get her to let her guard down... if only slightly. Seeing how she already had lowered her guard she realized it was working, whether he meant it to or not. It was an eye opener in that briefest of moments and becoming apparent to Niki that she was soft on the little guy. She never would have cared a month or two ago and she made a mental note to guard against that.

She'd allowed Ian's urgings for her to 'lighten up' to make her soft on too many people. She couldn't play both sides of the fence though and she knew she trusted Kevin, because of him being on her team but more so for having earned the trust she so closely guarded. Most of her team had done that, but she still was hard on them all. The fact of the matter was that she was hard on them because Ian wouldn't .. or couldn't be. It wasn't in his nature and she knew that, so she played the heavy and it worked really well for them.

Niki honestly didn't mind being slightly hated from time to time if and when she had to lay into someone on her team. To her it was a damn sight better than being fully hated all the time and being alone in the world. She realized, as they all did, that there had to be someone like that for them. She did what she had to and she did it out of loving concern more than the obvious love of a good old ass kicking, but, the perception being what it was, most just thought her cruel.

The second thing that she realized about the whole Kevin and his puppy dog eyes was that if nobody ever was rough on him in training then he would always be a poor fighter. She couldn't be responsible for that, and she knew the kid was there to learn, so she did what she had to do. Clenching her fists tighter, and her jaw as well she made peace with herself on the issue. He wanted to learn to fight, he came here to learn, he wants to improve, I will teach him... make him better. I wont kill him or hurt him bad, but I will not be soft on him, not here.

She blew out a huff of air through her nostrils as she stepped in fast. Throwing a double jab at Kevin's head and connecting twice. Then feinting a right hook upstairs only to drive a knee into his gut in the next split moment. He was taken totally by surprise and dropped to the mat like a sack of potatoes. "Good!" She liked what she saw, in the simple fact of him not closing his eyes and cowering in fear. He was stronger than she remembered and her punches, granted she didn't throw them at full power, they only stung him slightly it looked. The gut shot though she couldn't pull back on that too much, but his workouts with Ian had definitely payed off as she felt his abs, strong and resilient under her blow.

"That was good! You didn't cower, you hung in there." Niki was impressed and she held out a hand for him to help him up. "It happens quick like that. I didn't want to cheese out on you and go soft. I had a feeling you didn't come down here to play patty cakes... least I hope you didn't come to play patty cakes with my man." she smiled at him "Let's go again, if you're ready."

[Iceman]

The meeting left Bobby with a bit to think about, and more on his mind then before. He went to the rec room and hung around there, hoping that maybe Lorelai would come down to find him and talk to him, but she never came. Bobby was lost in thought, thinking about the stuff said at the meeting and what it meant for the future of the team, but he was cool with it in the end.

There did come a point not long after that where Bobby just didn't have the heart to wait around and see if Lorelai would show up. It was like waiting for Madonna to make a hit movie. He got up and decided to go to go bother Hank down in his lab to maybe talk with him for a bit and hang out with an old friend. His plans only changed when he heard voices coming from the gym, rather familiar voices that made him smile.

He stood in the doorway of the gym quietly just in time to see Niki lay some pretty mean hits on the little guy Kevin. "Oooooouuuchhh!" he whistled from the doorway and clapped, grin on his face. "That takes some skill to take a hit like that. Especially from Ms. Niki there, she's one heavy hitter. Just remember Rumble's face from two days ago for proof," Bobby said with a wink and a chuckle.

"I gotta stay for this, to you know... uh supervise, yea that's it. What's up guys? Heya Coffee, ma main rabbit dude." He reached down to bump fists with the large rabbit and pat his head when he stood up. He figured that hanging out with the kids would probably put him in a better mood, and he liked the two Acolytes a lot. Niki may have been rough around the edges, but he thought she was really cool when relaxed. Kevin was a cool little dude, and he was growing into himself really nicely.

[Hardlight]

"Skill? Oh yea right." Kevin said taking hold of Niki's hand and pulling himself up and turning to see Icamen there. "I guess so if you guys say, but I would rather not get hit." He brusht himself off and felt his face where she hit him. "Dont make me look ugly huh? My face is kinda pretty Ok? I know, like you probubly think its too quere and all but you know-hey, it's what I am! And I want to stay pretty, Ok?"

He said it to Haven as he got back into his hands up stance and bounced a little on the balts of his feet. "So, thanks I guess? For uh, not holding back?" he threw a punch. Wildly and put his weigth behind it so it mustha been esy to see coming because he found himself tripped up and falling over his own feet as her buddy's girl stepped to the side. "Oh man!" He did his best to leap into a dive forwerd roll and he came up to his feet spinning back to face Niki, but.

She was fast or exprienced or both and his best move he could do just then and she was already right on top of him? All he could do was put his arms up and try to block her punches the best he could. It was too much for him, and his head ducked down and he almost just closed his eyes but he did'nt. He baerly saw her feet in the bunch of white flashed that were poping in his eyes and so he stomped on one of them hard and kept it pinted onto the mat as he shoved her back. She seemed to lost her balance since he had her foot and he grinned at his getting her to go down, but then a shocking thing hapened. She must have grabbed him and pulled him with her or something because all of a sunded he was going down too. "AHHhh!!"

[Haven]

Never one to miss the chance for some floor-work, Niki used Kevin's momentum to un-foot him. Twisting as she pulled him down she splashed him down on his back as she landed on top of him and immediately stood back up. "OK Kevin. I like that! Improvisation, imagination, using what you had available. Good, get up and come again, lets go!" Niki backed off of him and let him get to his feet.

He's not really all that awful, well okay, he is... but it's not like there's nothing to work with or he won't allow anyone to teach him. I like this kid actually, more now that I see what he's willing to do. Ian's too quick to like a person, but this kid is alright in my book. S'pecially now that he ditched that damn Frostbite. What the hell was that about anyway? She danced around her team mate as he came in, his fists were wild but she didn't bother with them. Easily slipping his punches she stepped inside his range, slipping past his 'bubble' and inside his comfort zone. "Come on Kev. I'm right here, hit me."

Her taunts had the effect of making him a bit more frantic and she giggled at his frustration. She's like almost old enough for college classes and she was hanging with this guy and that little ass Paragon. Speaking of her, I gotta see what time we do our project for Beast. "Oh yea, quick hands baby- watch it now! Watch it!" she threw a quick flurry at Kevin slapping his belly and his face as she continued to bob and weave slipping his shots and letting him focus on her face as the target. He's not bad, needs to commit to hitting someone though. If I had to guess I'd say he's afraid to hurt his own hand, or maybe he still doesn't believe he can do this.

"Oh Niki," she mocked him "don't do me ugly mommy, no... I'm too pretty." She stuck her face out leaving it there for him to hit. She saw him look at her, and she would have said his own thoughts aloud but she didn't have to, his novice hesitation said it all for her. "Well!?! HIT me Dammit!! What are you waiting for!?! The gay pride parade to pass by or some shit?" Lets test his resolve, how hard could he possibly hit anyway? What is he five foot nothin and all of seventy five pounds soakin wet??

[Hardlight]

Niki was allmost funny as she tawnted Kevin, allmost but not quite. In relity he was getting mad, but it was a mad that was not fully bloomed yet and as it was bubling up he was grinding his teeth and hating her for her attitude. He knew she was trying to help, or at leest she mabey started out that way but now it seamed like she was getting into it expeshilly when she said the part of the gay pride parade in that last bit.

She wants me to hit her well I'm gonna hit her so frickin hard shes gonna be peein blood out her nose for a week! Kevin didn't usully get mad, but he was not realy mad so much as frustrated and feeling like he was inadakwit for not knowing how to fight. Niki had done him dirty slapping him up and teasing him, now was his time to clean her teeth flat outa her mouth.

"AAAHHH!!!" He let it all go with a scream. His hand flew out smashing into her face. He was going to make Ian so mad for giving his girl a black eye or breaking her nose or noking out a few of her teeth. He would feel so bad about it to and then what happened next made him scream out again. "YAAHH!!" For some unknown reson at the very second he hit her his hand and arm buckled on impact, the pain in his wrist and nukkles was unbeerable and he grabbed his hand with his other hand and looked at it. It was'nt swelling up like crazy yet but he so knew it was going to and his bones were broken.

"Oww oww OOOHH GOD! OWWWww. My hand, owwie yeeww you- Ouch! NIKI!! You had your forcefilled on! You cheated!" He looked at his hand again and it was still fine, but mabey a little swolded up and real real red. He was sure it was done and when he looked again to see Haven's face and scold her some more he did'nt know what to say about what he saw. He did know he was not even close to a good fighter, if he thought he was he was so mixtaken it was'nt even funny.

[Haven]

Niki's head snapped back a little at the hit. She felt his punch and damned if she was right about him not knowing how to hit someone. "What're ya talkin about Kev? I didn't put my forcefield up.. you just hit like a girl. Lemmie see, oh mierda... we gotta see Beast I think. 'Berto checkit man, lookit his hand." She waved Bobby over to see what had happened from Kevin's punching her all wrong.

As they looked at Kevin's hand it was turning a beautiful shade of eggplant purple and swelling up. "Hey man, I swear... you need remedial punching lessons, Lets get him over to- get your furry mongrel face outta here Coffee..." she shoved the rabbit out of the way by his face and wiped the wet from his nose off on her jeans. She didn't like the thing and found him to be under foot far too often and just a plain weird nuisance. ".. go bang a drum or whatever you do, but get lost."

She reached a hand up to feel her face where he had hit her. It was only just starting to get that hot feeling and a bit of tightness to it like it might be swelling a little bit too. She didn't care, she wanted to see what he could do and she didn't want to hurt him with her forcefield either, so she took the punch. It wasn't the first time she had been hit and she was sure it wouldn't be the last. She had that hard head that most Latin boxers were known for so she would be alright. "Whatchoo think? We need to bother Beast? Or you just wanna put some ice on it."

[Iceman]

"Oh man," Bobby said looking over Kevin's hand that looked mangled almost. "That was one helluva hit there buddy, phew." He looked it over carefully to not irritate the hand anymore than it already was. He wasn't an expert on injuries or anything, but he had enough of them himself to know when something needed to be looked at. "Ya know, I think you better show Hank just in case. If you fractured it you'll wanna take care of it right away, cause it's gonna hurt like hell later," Bobby decided standing up then. "C'mon, I'll take ya to him. I was gonna see him anyways but I just had to watch this."

He paused for a moment to look at Haven's face, inspecting the red swelling on the stark white skin of her face. "It may not look like that hurt ya Niki girl, but you oughta put some ice on that now. Don't want that pretty face to be red and bruised for Ian later do ya?" Bobby said with a wink at her after taking another look at her chin. He held out his hand and formed a lumpy looking block of ice. He grabbed some paper towels and wrapped it around the ice before handing it to Niki. "You should be good with ice though, but hey you can tag along if you want. You too little buddy." He glanced over at Coffee and grinned at him.

"Let's go Kev," he said putting a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder and leading him out of the gym. "Beast'll fix ya right up. You gotta work on that punch of yours though." Bobby grinned at him and ruffled his hair as they made their way to Beast's lab.

[Coffee]

Coffee played with his right ear, twirling it, as he watched Haven and Diesel. Good form, he thought. She's fast too. Her counter to the full nelson had come quickly, but still Diesel should have seen it and prepared for a fake. With Diesel's power advantage in strength it was Haven's most logical move. It's a demo. He'd counter it in a real fight. , the rabbit concluded. Still, Haven's performance was good and far less impulsive than Coffee had expected given her swagger and bravado. When Diesel, he smiled at him and lightly nodded 'yes' to his request to watch after the two remaining Acolytes.

And then the swagger was back. As Haven grinned at Kevin and egged him on just slightly before casually insulting Coffee. The rabbit didn't move. He just smiled quietly and watched. Once again with the fakes. She likes that. Coffee closed his eyes and replayed the fake in his head. It took playing it over a couple times to see what he needed. Like most fighters she had a tell. A little hint that the fake was coming. Now I have you, he thought and began to relax.

When Iceman came in Coffee was his normal self. All bouncy and happy. He watched the rest of the sparring much less closely and made the mistake of letting down his guard. So it took him completely by surprise when Haven pushed his face and told him to get lost. If Iceman had not been there he would have gone in quick and hard. He wanted them to underestimate him in case Mojo got to them, but he was too proud to take a hit in the nose quietly. I'll tag along, he thought, and we'll spar later. He wasn't going to hold back when he got a chance to fight with Haven.