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[52_dropoff]

Charlie has staked out a spot on the far side of the lake, away from any and all signs of runaway bread dough. He's laid out a large exercise mat borrowed from the gym, and has brought some bottles of water and some towels. He's not quite sure what route to take to train Natalie, but this is at least a start.

Comments

[frustrated_asst]

"Hey, Charlie," Natalie says, waving as she approaches.

"You're certainly well prepared. Where shall we start?"

[52_dropoff]

"I try. Though I really have no idea if this will really do the trick. My sensei started from a much less basic point, assuming I had a clue about what to do." An assumption Charlie was too proud to dispute.

"Let's see what you can do first. Try some push-ups."

[frustrated_asst]

She blinks, shrugs, and drops onto the mat.

She'd done some basic PT with Mitch, her deceased husband, back in the day, more because exercising alone sucks than for any real desire to stay in shape. She's managed to stay strong in the upper arms by doing various tasks for Mr. Monk and the police department on various cases.

Natalie does ten push-ups, starting to struggle around the eighth.

[52_dropoff]

"Hmmmm." He sits next to Natalie on the mat. "Your form isn't bad. Someone showed you where to put your arms, at least. And the rest would come with repetition. Try some stomach crunches?"

[frustrated_asst]

She nods and does so, again recalling what she learned by doing PT with Mitch.

She does ten. This is a bit harder for her; she starts to have trouble around crunch number six. She's stubborn, though, and forces her way through.

[52_dropoff]

"I hope that didn't hurt. You look a bit stressed. But again, you seem to have the basics down. Most people don't." Or so Richard used to tell him.

[frustrated_asst]

She gives a small smile.

"I used to work out with my husband, before he--well." She smiles again. "Before his plane went down over Kosovo. He was in the Navy."

He deserves to know. It's only fair, if the two will be working together.

"It's weird to be working out again. It's been... a long time. At least, with the basic PT things."

[52_dropoff]

"I'm sorry," he says automatically but honestly. He wonders if that makes it that much stranger to be talking with a dead man, when he isn't the man she might be looking for. But he says nothing on the matter.

"What sorts of things did your husband and you do?"

[frustrated_asst]

"Thank you," she says, placing a hand on his arm briefly. Then she thinks.

"Your basic military PT. Push ups, crunches, pull ups. Running. Mostly things for strength and endurance."

[52_dropoff]

"I'm afraid that I don't know very much at all about military PT. In fact, I'm probably not very much the military type at all." He respects what the military can do, but he would have issues with any chain of command. "But as standard regimens go, that works well. That was how I started before donning the mask. That and boxing."

[frustrated_asst]

She nods. "I was a military wife for a while, so I'm pretty used to the mindset. It'll be nice to work with someone a bit more relaxed about a lot of things."

She doesn't mention how Mitch's death was "questionable", or how he was shot down possibly trying to go AWOL or desert completely.

It's just not the time to mention it.

[52_dropoff]

"Just so you know, when I was training Renee, I wasn't relaxed. And if you really want to help Gordon and Sir Nicholas, if we really are going to make this basic training, I might stop being relaxed.

"But that's not right now, is it?" He gets back to his feet. "I don't suppose you know any martial arts?"

[frustrated_asst]

"I was thinking more about regulations, but yeah." She shrugs.

And then: "No. I don't."

[52_dropoff]

"I dare say, Natalie, that martial arts offers the best course of exercise I know. It tones the body, relaxes the mind, sharpens the reflexes, offers a diverse array of activities, and prepares you for a lot. Combine it with meditation, and it might top the best regimens offered by football teams and boot camps." He pauses. "I must sound like a late night ad."

[frustrated_asst]

She grins. "You do, but it's all right. Which martial art is your favorite?"

[52_dropoff]

"For fighting, I mix karate, judo, kung-fu and a few unconventional methods, such as savate and krav maga.

"For exercise, tai chi and tae kwon do. Tai chi is expecting well suited to a proper workout since when done right, you can give your muscles a slow, even test while calming yourself."