For Grace - backdated to Monday afternoon

[cutslikeaspade]

The last Card exited the gym and Ethan took a moment to catch his breath, guzzle a bottle of water and mop his drenched face and neck, then plunked down on one of the benches and checked his watch. Almost four-thirty. He'd told Grace to meet him here then to begin her "training", or at least her education in the world of self-defense

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[dazzlingclarity]

Dressed in sweats, hair in a ponytail, she tentatively made her way down the stairs and towards the gym she'd been directed to. While she was eager to begin her training, the idea of being struck at - even to help her - had her stomach twisting slightly.

Entering the gym, she looked around, spotting Ethan quickly enough. Her brow quirked slightly. Well, he was certainly limber. "Two of Diamonds reporting for pummeling duty, Sir Spade."

[cutslikeaspade]

Ethan had to snort a chuckle at her announcement, straightening with a slight crack of tendon that had him rolling the offending shoulder as he turned around and smiled a greeting.

"'Pummeling', m'lady Diamond? Surely not. Well," he amended with a shrug, "not this early in the lesson plan." He waved an inviting hand. "C'mon in, do ya some warmups."

[dazzlingclarity]

Dropping her towel and water on a free bench, she found a place on the mat and began to run through the light warm-up stretching exercises she used before a performance. "You look like you've been at this for a while. Are you sure you're up for possible frustration at my complete ineptness?"

[cutslikeaspade]

About as limber as he was going to get this afternoon and still be able to stand upright entirely, Ethan simply moved to lean against one of the standing target dummies across from the floor mats. He crossed his arms comfortably and shrugged, saying, "A few hours. Doing a few workouts with the lower Cards."

To her question, he shook his head and laughed a bit. "Not at all. It'll probably be a wonderful refresher, actually. Not having to keep my guard up at every. Single. Moment." Because even "friendly" workouts were tense with more than two Spades in any confined space.

[dazzlingclarity]

She took her time, not wanting to pull anything later, since she wasn't sure exactly what it was she was in store for. The warm-up exercises were reminding her of the excitement and anticipation she felt just before a show, only this was tempered with a slight edge of nervousness.

As much as she liked Ethan so far, he was still an unknown element. He could be dangerous. Hell, he practically oozed it through his pores, letting it sit in an air around him that just made him darker. He was obvious about himself, though. Not a hidden menace trying to sneak close enough to strike. And the fact that she couldn't help but smile back whenever he directed one at her eased her slightly. That radar that signaled danger to her was quiet around him. Mostly. That oozing air brushed over those senses and made her notice him more than made her fear him.

"So hopefully you won't be too upset that I'm likely going to be the worst pupil you've ever had. Please try to keep me from giving myself a black eye. I think Isaac would disapprove."

[cutslikeaspade]

"I'll do my absolute best, carina. Promise."

He didn't rush her, simply let her take the time as she needed to make sure things were loose and limber. From what he'd observed so far, the lady was very light on her feet, very rhythmic and graceful and that made his job easier. It was probably testament to his upbringing that his brain instantly translated these talents to all sorts of ways Grace could become quite the adept assassin. But Ethan seriously doubted she had the temperament or even the constitution to go through with something such as taking the life of another. No, her desire to learn these skills derived from something else, something a bit closer to home.

And while he was curious as hell as to what that was -he was a Spade, after all- it wasn't the right time to pry into that pretty little head and discover all her secrets. Later, maybe. When he'd earned her trust and gained her utmost confidence, he'd find out the origin of the mystery around pretty little Grace. But for now, there was work to be done. So

[dazzlingclarity]

Standing, she faced him, bouncing slightly on her feet. Her brows rose at the order, her eyes moving down to his hand. "Just like that?"

Biting her lip, she made a fist of her hand and aimed for the flat of his palm. Her 'punch' was more like a serving motion in tennis, overhand and coming at him from high, tapping his hand lightly.

[cutslikeaspade]

To his credit, Ethan didn't laugh. He simply nodded and stepped over to the counter running along the wall, rummaging for a minute before returning with a regular gallon pitcher half full of water and an empty glass, both of which he handed to Grace.

"Pitcher in your right hand, glass in the left," he instructed. "Now, both arms out all the way, elbows straight but not locked, and," he tilted her right arm a bit higher than the left, "now pour a glass of water, Grace."

[dazzlingclarity]

She wasn't weak, she had muscle tone and stamina, but holding half a gallon of water away from her body and trying to lever it to pour without splashing it everywhere took more than a little of her concentration. The first spill missed the cup and hit the floor, making her frown and glare at the glass, trying again.

[cutslikeaspade]

He wasn't concerned with her spilling it, but rather with the position of her fingers on handle of the pitcher. "There, see where the fingers of your right hand are?" Ethan mimicked with his left hand, then carefully took the pitcher from her with his free hand, setting it out of the way.

"Pretend you still have the handle in your hand. Fold your fingers, don't clench them." He worked her thumb around until it was resting beneath her knuckles, then stepped back. "Now the left hand."

[dazzlingclarity]

She was slightly confused. "Should I keep a space in my hand?"

Looking down at her hand, she couldn't see much of a difference between the two grips. Bringing her left hand up, she waggled the glass at him. "Am I going to whack them with a glass, then give them a smack?"

[cutslikeaspade]

"A small one, very cushy. Keep your fingers flat against the heel of your hand, try not to curl them in." He took the glass and set it beside the pitcher, returning to again position her fingers correctly. "Also, keep your thumb beneath your knuckles, 'cause having one broken is absolutely no fun. Thumbs should close over your fingers, keeping them straight. Feels a little weird at first, but believe me, it's preferable to the alternative."

[dazzlingclarity]

Both hands curled in her best rendition of a fist, she looked back up at him. "You can break your thumb punching someone?" It was a good thing she'd never had to bother trying before. She likely would have wound up with both broken and wondering how that had happened.

[cutslikeaspade]

"Or your fingers. Or your wrist. Or even your elbow, if you aren't careful."

Ethan closed his fingers over hers, trying to imprint the feel of correct finger placement, then released and stepped back with a querying look.

"Got the feel of it? It's probably strange now, but it won't be long before it'll be second nature when you bring up your hands."

[dazzlingclarity]

God, she hoped it never came to that. Her hands didn't like sitting in that curl, wanting to either tighten into a clenched fist more or relax entirely. "I didn't realize a punch took so much concentration." She'd seen punches thrown outside of bars and clubs, actions seemingly done on a whim and reciprocated just as easily.

"I think so," she said cautiously in answer to his question. "I don't think this will ever be second nature to me, Ethan. Not that you couldn't likely teach me properly, but... violence just never feels like the right reaction."

Which was why she was here in the first place. So there was a catch 22 about that statement; her inability to react properly to violence had led her here, which was good, but if she'd been capable of taking care of herself, it never would have had to have gotten to the point where she'd had to flee him.

[cutslikeaspade]

He shrugged. "It isn't. It's the stupidest answer to anything, but always the quickest way to solve problems." He gestured to her hands. "It'll grow on you. You're going to be practicing every day, so don't worry about getting the hang of it. Now, c'mon. Now that we have that down, let's move on."

Ethan took her over to one of the hanging sandbags and positioned her directly in front of it. He stepped behind her, hands lightly resting on her shoulders as he said, "All right, now. You're right handed, so that's your stronger side. So." He glanced down at their feet, continuing. "Spread your feet apart, about shoulder width, good. Now, left leg a bit ahead, slide it forward. Right foot back a bit, get solid in your stance. Hands up at your waist, elbows bent."