The gym [After 7th period}
Obi-Wan was coming next week to lecture a class Anakin had with Rory.
And even though he and Rory had broken up, that sick, twisting feeling in his stomach that he'd had since Tuesday's ACJ class hadn't gone away.
So Anakin was down in the gym hoping to get rid of his guilt, fear and anger by doing some serious damage to a punching bag.
So far? It wasn't working.
Angel came into the gym. As soon as he saw Anakin he made a beeline for him. "We need to talk."
Anakin didn't take his eyes from the punching bag.
"Not really in a talking mood today," he said.
"I don't recall that being part of the question." Angel shot a hand out to hold the punching bag still. "What the hell were you thinking with Rory?"
Anakin's eyes snapped over to Angel.
"I was upset. I overreacted. I can't believe she told you about it."
He moved to punch at the bag again. "And I don't see how this is any of your business."
"You hurt her," Angel said. "That makes me cranky."
"She hurt me back," Anakin said, glaring. "I think that makes us pretty even."
He crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. "But if you need to do the big-brother posturing thing, feel free."
"I don't posture," Angel said. "I am. And right now you have about zero legs to stand on as far as copping 'tude with me."
"I'm a little focused on saving my future to be diplomatic," Anakin said, turning his attention back to the punching bag.
"And I'm a little caught up with not giving a damn," Angel replied. "I gave you a chance, a chance to be near Rory. You are now way past blowing it."
Anakin spun around, eyes blazing. "You think I don't know that? But I don't see another way."
"See, what amuses me here is your impression that I'd give you a choice." Angel stepped into Anakin's personal space. "Nobody treats any woman like that and especially not Rory."
"I was planning on apologizing," Anakin snapped. "But she's not exactly talking to me right now."
He took a step towards Angel. "But this is between her and I. So I'll ask you -- politely, even -- to back out."
The look on his face was anything but polite.
"Doesn't work like that, Ani," Angel replied, deliberately using the nickname. "Told you: you hurt Rory, you deal with me."
"Don't. Call. Me. Ani."
Anakin clenched his hands into fists. "Besides, it's not like anything I could say to her would even compare to what you did back in November."
Angel stared him down. "I got a soul. What's your excuse?"
Direct hit.
Anakin's jaw clenched. Feel guilt or hit back?
He chose to hit back.
He concentrated and a dumbbell flew across the room to slam into the wall.
"Back off," he snarled.
Angel leveled a calm glare at him. "Make me."
"Fine."
Anakin's hand moved. Another weight lifted off the ground and shot straight towards Angel's knees.
Vamp speed and instincts meant Angel leapt over the weight easily.
Years of training meant he could follow that move with a turn, then a kick towards Anakin's abdomen.
Jedi reflexes moved pretty quickly, too.
Reaching into the Force, Anakin was dodging almost before Angel had kicked out. He ducked down and aimed a sideways kick at the leg Angel was balancing on.
Angel reached above him and grabbed on to one of the chin-up bars. He lifted himself over the arc of Anakin's kick. He then put all his energy into his legs as he lashed out with both feet towards Anakin's face.
Anakin leaped backwards, tucking himself into a back flip to avoid Angel's legs.
"My face?" he screeched when he landed.
He reached into the Force, picked up another weight, and tossed it at Angel's head, turnabout being fair play and all that.
Anakin conveniently forgot that he hadn't been playing fair for a while.
Angel dropped down. He caught the weight and threw it right back at Anakin.
Hard.
Anakin held up a hand, sneering.
The weight hovered in mid-air a foot from his face, then dropped with a clatter onto the floor.
"Please," he spat.
Angel replied to that with a fist aimed directly at Anakin's face.
Anakin wasn't quite quick enough to dodge that. The blow hit him directly in the ear, making his head ring.
He snarled a curse, his eyes blazing.
Then reached into the Force and threw his hand out.
That wall on the other side of the gym? Angel's probably going to be better acquainted with it.
As well as remembering that he has a windpipe.
Because Anakin's angry now, and well, angry Anakin goes for the Force-choke.
Angel's head hit the wall hard enough for him to see stars. He felt an invisible hand wrap around his throat and hold him against the wall with his feet dangling well off the floor.
Angel moved a hand to his throat, trying to see if that would release the grip.
Anakin kept Angel pinned to the wall as he stalked across the room towards him.
He stood in front of Angel for a few seconds, still concentrating on the windpipe, then aimed a punch at Angel's head.
Because he's a petty son of a bitch.
The blow probably would've hurt.
Too bad Angel's hand blocked it.
"Hey, Ani, know what's funny?"
Angel used his free hand to aim a vamp-quick punch at Anakin's head.
"I don't need to breathe."
The look of surprise on Anakin's face right before he took another punch to the head was pretty priceless.
Then he was on his back staring up at the ceiling and seeing stars.
In his shock, he released his Force-grip on Angel.
Probably a bad move.
Angel's feet hit the floor. His ridges and fangs came out.
"Let's try that again," he said. He reached down to grab Anakin and slam him up against the wall.
"My way."
More stars.
Anakin's head was starting to throb.
He glared at Angel, then twitched his hand.
Weights? Exercise bikes? The only difference was in your mind.
Well, and one's gonna hurt a lot more when it hits you from behind.
Sneaky little Jedi.
The pain of the exercise bike hitting him exploded through Angel's body. He dropped Anakin, falling to the floor and feeling temporarily stunned.
Anakin slid down from the wall with a decided lack of grace, trying to ignore the ringing in his ears.
He walked over and aimed a kick at Angel's stomach.
Instinct made Angel grab for Anakin's foot before he was even fully aware it was heading for him. He moved with the goal of flipping Anakin over if he could catch him.
Anakin, realizing that Angel wasn't quite as out of it as he had seemed, flipped just out Angel's reach, tucking his legs up and landing a few feet away.
His hand moved instinctively to where his lightsaber normally held on his belt.
Fortunately for everyone, it was locked in weapons storage across campus.
He glared at Angel, senses tingling, and waited to see what would come next.
What came next was Angel's right leg aimed directly at Anakin's knees in a roundhouse kick.
Anakin dove out of the way, barely dodging the kick.
He tossed another barbell at Angel's head to give himself some time to recover.
Angel caught it. This might not have been the smartest move compared to, say, ducking, but that's Angel for you.
He threw it at Anakin, figuring that if he ignored the pain in his hand it wouldn't affect his aim any.
Anakin ducked and moved closer to Angel.
Why he was fighting had gotten a little hazy.
Now he just wanted to win.
He aimed a left hook at Angel's nose, his right arm prepared to follow up with a shot to the stomach.
Angel was fighting on instinct.
This was bad when your instincts were that of a creature that properly classified humans as "food."
Angel grabbed Anakin's hand and gave it a sharp twist.
He was rewarded with a highly satisfying crunching sound.
Anakin's only reaction to his broken right hand was a thinning of his lips and a scary light to his eyes.
And anger. A lot of anger.
He gave a quick glance around the gym for something else to use.
The metal bar for the dumbbells wasn't exactly a lightsaber, and Anakin wasn't at his strongest using his left hand, but accomodations had to be made.
He plunged it straight at Angel's chest.
The bar landed with deadly accuracy. Angel cried out in pain as the bar hit, then pierced, his chest.
Right through the heart.
Anakin's first reaction was fury that the blow hadn't turned Angel into dust.
Then he was hit with a fit of trembling as what he had just done sank in.
He released his grip on the metal bar like it would burn through his hands, then knelt down on the floor.
"Angel?"
The path from her office to the gym was not nearly as direct as Zoe would have liked, and she cursed herself for thinking that Angel and Anakin were being playful when she saw them fighting on the video feed. Luckily, the flying exercise bike had corrected that notion at just the right time.
When she finally reached the gym, she went straight over to the two of them, wincing lightly at the sight of Angel on the floor. "Ai-yah. Tyen-ah," she muttered before turning sharply to the more conscious student. "Mr. Skywalker, please explain to me exactly what the two of you think you're doing. Now."
Anakin rubbed his face with his left hand, wincing when he touched what was already shaping up to be a truly impressive black eye.
"I don't know," he said, not tearing his glance away from Angel. "We were talking...and then we were..." his hands gestured vaguely. "I don't know."
"Ow," Angel said, conversationally. He sat up, concentrated, and slowly pulled the metal bar out of his chest.
This did not look like what you might call a large amount of fun. Especially since the game face had dropped, thus making it harder for him to keep the stoic.
To say that Zoe had a problem with people getting objects jammed into their chests would be an understatement, but she thought she covered her reaction pretty well with a stoic face. "Are you all right? Relatively, at least?"
"Least it's not wood," Angel said. He gave a final yank and pulled the metal bar out. Then he sat still for a second since whee, room spinny.
Anakin turned away from staring at Angel, face pale.
"Good, then this means I have a moment to explain to both of you how utterly stupid you've just been. Despite events that might have proven to the contrary, neither one of you is invincible. You realize you could have actually killed each other, don't you?" Zoe sighed. "That may be the way problems are handled where you two come from, but it is completely unacceptable behavior here."
And now Anakin had another reason to be staring at the floor. "Yes, ma'am," he muttered.
Angel? Totally had other priorities.
"Damn it," he said, poking at the bloody hole. "Why is it every time this happens I gotta lose a favorite shirt?"
Zoe resisted the urge to poke the hole, but damn if it wasn't tempting.
"I really don't know. Maybe you can find an answer while you're pondering that question in detention." Zoe glanced at Anakin. "That goes for you too."
"Yes, ma'am," Anakin repeated, nodding, then winced.
Being banged up against a wall had knocked something loose in his head.
"Ow," he said quietly, holding his head with his not-broken hand.
Angel rolled his eyes. "It'll heal. Big baby."
Anakin glared. ""Says the one bitching about his clothing. Pompous jackass."
"All right, that is more than enough from both of you," Zoe snapped, rolling her eyes. "You two had better get to the clinic and get yourselves checked out. And if I find out you were fighting there, I'll start adding onto the detention. Are we clear?"
"Very clear," Anakin said, getting to his feet and biting back a groan.
If he was wavering a little bit, well, he was. But he wasn't about to fall over in front of Angel.
"Don't need the Clinic," Angel said, stubborn to the end. "I'll go back to my room."
"Fine," Zoe said, practically throwing her hands up in the air. "Go to your room and just try not to do anything that might make that hole bigger. You should still go to the clinic," she added, to Anakin.
Giving Angel one last look, Anakin walked carefully out of the gym, heading towards the clinic.
Angel limped his way back to his room, wincing the whole while.
[OOC: pre-played, so no IC interaction possible. OOC comments are very, very welcome. Totally available for broadcast.]
And even though he and Rory had broken up, that sick, twisting feeling in his stomach that he'd had since Tuesday's ACJ class hadn't gone away.
So Anakin was down in the gym hoping to get rid of his guilt, fear and anger by doing some serious damage to a punching bag.
So far? It wasn't working.
Angel came into the gym. As soon as he saw Anakin he made a beeline for him. "We need to talk."
Anakin didn't take his eyes from the punching bag.
"Not really in a talking mood today," he said.
"I don't recall that being part of the question." Angel shot a hand out to hold the punching bag still. "What the hell were you thinking with Rory?"
Anakin's eyes snapped over to Angel.
"I was upset. I overreacted. I can't believe she told you about it."
He moved to punch at the bag again. "And I don't see how this is any of your business."
"You hurt her," Angel said. "That makes me cranky."
"She hurt me back," Anakin said, glaring. "I think that makes us pretty even."
He crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. "But if you need to do the big-brother posturing thing, feel free."
"I don't posture," Angel said. "I am. And right now you have about zero legs to stand on as far as copping 'tude with me."
"I'm a little focused on saving my future to be diplomatic," Anakin said, turning his attention back to the punching bag.
"And I'm a little caught up with not giving a damn," Angel replied. "I gave you a chance, a chance to be near Rory. You are now way past blowing it."
Anakin spun around, eyes blazing. "You think I don't know that? But I don't see another way."
"See, what amuses me here is your impression that I'd give you a choice." Angel stepped into Anakin's personal space. "Nobody treats any woman like that and especially not Rory."
"I was planning on apologizing," Anakin snapped. "But she's not exactly talking to me right now."
He took a step towards Angel. "But this is between her and I. So I'll ask you -- politely, even -- to back out."
The look on his face was anything but polite.
"Doesn't work like that, Ani," Angel replied, deliberately using the nickname. "Told you: you hurt Rory, you deal with me."
"Don't. Call. Me. Ani."
Anakin clenched his hands into fists. "Besides, it's not like anything I could say to her would even compare to what you did back in November."
Angel stared him down. "I got a soul. What's your excuse?"
Direct hit.
Anakin's jaw clenched. Feel guilt or hit back?
He chose to hit back.
He concentrated and a dumbbell flew across the room to slam into the wall.
"Back off," he snarled.
Angel leveled a calm glare at him. "Make me."
"Fine."
Anakin's hand moved. Another weight lifted off the ground and shot straight towards Angel's knees.
Vamp speed and instincts meant Angel leapt over the weight easily.
Years of training meant he could follow that move with a turn, then a kick towards Anakin's abdomen.
Jedi reflexes moved pretty quickly, too.
Reaching into the Force, Anakin was dodging almost before Angel had kicked out. He ducked down and aimed a sideways kick at the leg Angel was balancing on.
Angel reached above him and grabbed on to one of the chin-up bars. He lifted himself over the arc of Anakin's kick. He then put all his energy into his legs as he lashed out with both feet towards Anakin's face.
Anakin leaped backwards, tucking himself into a back flip to avoid Angel's legs.
"My face?" he screeched when he landed.
He reached into the Force, picked up another weight, and tossed it at Angel's head, turnabout being fair play and all that.
Anakin conveniently forgot that he hadn't been playing fair for a while.
Angel dropped down. He caught the weight and threw it right back at Anakin.
Hard.
Anakin held up a hand, sneering.
The weight hovered in mid-air a foot from his face, then dropped with a clatter onto the floor.
"Please," he spat.
Angel replied to that with a fist aimed directly at Anakin's face.
Anakin wasn't quite quick enough to dodge that. The blow hit him directly in the ear, making his head ring.
He snarled a curse, his eyes blazing.
Then reached into the Force and threw his hand out.
That wall on the other side of the gym? Angel's probably going to be better acquainted with it.
As well as remembering that he has a windpipe.
Because Anakin's angry now, and well, angry Anakin goes for the Force-choke.
Angel's head hit the wall hard enough for him to see stars. He felt an invisible hand wrap around his throat and hold him against the wall with his feet dangling well off the floor.
Angel moved a hand to his throat, trying to see if that would release the grip.
Anakin kept Angel pinned to the wall as he stalked across the room towards him.
He stood in front of Angel for a few seconds, still concentrating on the windpipe, then aimed a punch at Angel's head.
Because he's a petty son of a bitch.
The blow probably would've hurt.
Too bad Angel's hand blocked it.
"Hey, Ani, know what's funny?"
Angel used his free hand to aim a vamp-quick punch at Anakin's head.
"I don't need to breathe."
The look of surprise on Anakin's face right before he took another punch to the head was pretty priceless.
Then he was on his back staring up at the ceiling and seeing stars.
In his shock, he released his Force-grip on Angel.
Probably a bad move.
Angel's feet hit the floor. His ridges and fangs came out.
"Let's try that again," he said. He reached down to grab Anakin and slam him up against the wall.
"My way."
More stars.
Anakin's head was starting to throb.
He glared at Angel, then twitched his hand.
Weights? Exercise bikes? The only difference was in your mind.
Well, and one's gonna hurt a lot more when it hits you from behind.
Sneaky little Jedi.
The pain of the exercise bike hitting him exploded through Angel's body. He dropped Anakin, falling to the floor and feeling temporarily stunned.
Anakin slid down from the wall with a decided lack of grace, trying to ignore the ringing in his ears.
He walked over and aimed a kick at Angel's stomach.
Instinct made Angel grab for Anakin's foot before he was even fully aware it was heading for him. He moved with the goal of flipping Anakin over if he could catch him.
Anakin, realizing that Angel wasn't quite as out of it as he had seemed, flipped just out Angel's reach, tucking his legs up and landing a few feet away.
His hand moved instinctively to where his lightsaber normally held on his belt.
Fortunately for everyone, it was locked in weapons storage across campus.
He glared at Angel, senses tingling, and waited to see what would come next.
What came next was Angel's right leg aimed directly at Anakin's knees in a roundhouse kick.
Anakin dove out of the way, barely dodging the kick.
He tossed another barbell at Angel's head to give himself some time to recover.
Angel caught it. This might not have been the smartest move compared to, say, ducking, but that's Angel for you.
He threw it at Anakin, figuring that if he ignored the pain in his hand it wouldn't affect his aim any.
Anakin ducked and moved closer to Angel.
Why he was fighting had gotten a little hazy.
Now he just wanted to win.
He aimed a left hook at Angel's nose, his right arm prepared to follow up with a shot to the stomach.
Angel was fighting on instinct.
This was bad when your instincts were that of a creature that properly classified humans as "food."
Angel grabbed Anakin's hand and gave it a sharp twist.
He was rewarded with a highly satisfying crunching sound.
Anakin's only reaction to his broken right hand was a thinning of his lips and a scary light to his eyes.
And anger. A lot of anger.
He gave a quick glance around the gym for something else to use.
The metal bar for the dumbbells wasn't exactly a lightsaber, and Anakin wasn't at his strongest using his left hand, but accomodations had to be made.
He plunged it straight at Angel's chest.
The bar landed with deadly accuracy. Angel cried out in pain as the bar hit, then pierced, his chest.
Right through the heart.
Anakin's first reaction was fury that the blow hadn't turned Angel into dust.
Then he was hit with a fit of trembling as what he had just done sank in.
He released his grip on the metal bar like it would burn through his hands, then knelt down on the floor.
"Angel?"
The path from her office to the gym was not nearly as direct as Zoe would have liked, and she cursed herself for thinking that Angel and Anakin were being playful when she saw them fighting on the video feed. Luckily, the flying exercise bike had corrected that notion at just the right time.
When she finally reached the gym, she went straight over to the two of them, wincing lightly at the sight of Angel on the floor. "Ai-yah. Tyen-ah," she muttered before turning sharply to the more conscious student. "Mr. Skywalker, please explain to me exactly what the two of you think you're doing. Now."
Anakin rubbed his face with his left hand, wincing when he touched what was already shaping up to be a truly impressive black eye.
"I don't know," he said, not tearing his glance away from Angel. "We were talking...and then we were..." his hands gestured vaguely. "I don't know."
"Ow," Angel said, conversationally. He sat up, concentrated, and slowly pulled the metal bar out of his chest.
This did not look like what you might call a large amount of fun. Especially since the game face had dropped, thus making it harder for him to keep the stoic.
To say that Zoe had a problem with people getting objects jammed into their chests would be an understatement, but she thought she covered her reaction pretty well with a stoic face. "Are you all right? Relatively, at least?"
"Least it's not wood," Angel said. He gave a final yank and pulled the metal bar out. Then he sat still for a second since whee, room spinny.
Anakin turned away from staring at Angel, face pale.
"Good, then this means I have a moment to explain to both of you how utterly stupid you've just been. Despite events that might have proven to the contrary, neither one of you is invincible. You realize you could have actually killed each other, don't you?" Zoe sighed. "That may be the way problems are handled where you two come from, but it is completely unacceptable behavior here."
And now Anakin had another reason to be staring at the floor. "Yes, ma'am," he muttered.
Angel? Totally had other priorities.
"Damn it," he said, poking at the bloody hole. "Why is it every time this happens I gotta lose a favorite shirt?"
Zoe resisted the urge to poke the hole, but damn if it wasn't tempting.
"I really don't know. Maybe you can find an answer while you're pondering that question in detention." Zoe glanced at Anakin. "That goes for you too."
"Yes, ma'am," Anakin repeated, nodding, then winced.
Being banged up against a wall had knocked something loose in his head.
"Ow," he said quietly, holding his head with his not-broken hand.
Angel rolled his eyes. "It'll heal. Big baby."
Anakin glared. ""Says the one bitching about his clothing. Pompous jackass."
"All right, that is more than enough from both of you," Zoe snapped, rolling her eyes. "You two had better get to the clinic and get yourselves checked out. And if I find out you were fighting there, I'll start adding onto the detention. Are we clear?"
"Very clear," Anakin said, getting to his feet and biting back a groan.
If he was wavering a little bit, well, he was. But he wasn't about to fall over in front of Angel.
"Don't need the Clinic," Angel said, stubborn to the end. "I'll go back to my room."
"Fine," Zoe said, practically throwing her hands up in the air. "Go to your room and just try not to do anything that might make that hole bigger. You should still go to the clinic," she added, to Anakin.
Giving Angel one last look, Anakin walked carefully out of the gym, heading towards the clinic.
Angel limped his way back to his room, wincing the whole while.
[OOC: pre-played, so no IC interaction possible. OOC comments are very, very welcome. Totally available for broadcast.]