Mar 12 18:30:25 106 PA
From Chronicles
The gym is almost deserted after midnight, the fog and the need for sleep chasing most away. Desmond has, however, come to be here tonight and is fixed on a speedbag. The act of using the toughened leather bag is a curious thing. Firm fixed focus is needed to keep pace, but once that perfect pace is reached and mastered, maintaining it is a simple matter. Thus Desmond will be absorbed in thought even as his body goes through the simple, repetitive motion of rolling jabs at the bag. There aren't any others near him in the section of the gym he occupies, providing him no distractions.
It is an unusual night just to be about to do much of a work out, but Sage finds herself here through an odd course of events. As it turns out, she wont be far away from Desmond as she seems to decide on the heavy bag since the speed bag is already taken. At first, her punches seem to be listless without much conviction. She even does a little hopping around on her toes as if she were going to box. She gives a sigh as it doesn't seem to give her much satisfaction. Just as she's about to consider moving onto something else, she clenches her fist and delivers a haymaker to the bag. The action seems to appeal to the woman as she begins to land heavy punch after heavy punch. Were it a real fight, these blows might not all land... but its a helpless punching bag.
Slowly the presence of another will filter into Desmond's awareness. His rapidfire flow of jabs slows, the needed pattern broken. A moment later he pauses, hands drawn back, then dipped as he glances towards the sound of Sage's heavy punching. He will stand there quietly for a few moments, observing her before he turns and steps over. Light on his feet, he likely won't be heard before the effort being put into the bag, but as he nears he will lift his deep voice, rumbling, "In a true melee, such technique would tire you too quickly." His calm eyes observing carefully.
The pattern of the speed bag stopping may register, but Sage doesn't seem to take much note of it. She just keeps throwing one after the other, each sapping a little energy away. The comment is heard, but another punch or two comes before the woman stops. She holds the bag lightly and breathes a little deeply. "Right now, that's kinda the point." She says, looking the feline over. "Having a late night too, Desmond?" She asks after a moment.
"I was unable to sleep. I decided to come here," Desmond explains simply. "I have found exercise can aid in this at times. and if not, is a positive pursuit nonetheless." He glances towards the bag, then back to Sage. "You seek to expend your energy that you may sleep, then?" Drawing a casual line between her words and actions.
"Ah..." Sage says, able to ease herself into standing without the aid of the bag, "Yeah, it can help." She agrees, before considering the feline once more. She gives a soft sigh, "Partially, I suppose." She says, frowning faintly. "Its..." She gives the bag a light jab, "Well..." She takes a breath and jabs the bag once more. "Ever get some news you weren't sure what to make of it... and just didn't want to worry a friend over it?" She asks, before making a combo of punches that lack the brute force she was displaying moments ago.
Desmond is patent for Sage to get to the point of addressing her concern, standing at rest with a light attention on her until she asks the question that comes to mind. As with all things, he gives it several moments of silent thought before he replies. "I do not think so, but I can understand the idea. Though many say that friends are for such times. I do not know you so well, but listening is a thing I do well, even if I am not so wise as to promise good advice."
"Eh... Cali brought her auction date to the flat... then I got that ... the news." Sage says, taking some more punches at the bag. "She just seemed so happy that I ..." She glances over to Desmond, "Well, I came here." She states the obvious, before going back to the bag and taking a few more punches. "Not wanting to be the sour puss on her."
"A considerate thing," Desmond confirms, nodding his head once. "Yet still that leaves you wanting." He pauses then as a stray thought comes across his mind. He moves around the bag, casually placing his hands on it opposite Sage. Braced, the bag will be held still as he looks over it at the woman. "I trust it is not a problem with the auction? Was your date.. unsatisfactory?" A firm note of concern in that.
The feline and Sage are over by the large punching bag with the woman seeming to be working the bag over with conversation placed between punching combos. The feline was standing off to the side before he ends up moving behind the bag. She's in the middle of a punch combo when Desmond seems to ask a question that breaks her concentration as the remaining punches are quite feeble. She sighs softly, "It was supposed to be easy, Desmond..." She says, "A guy named Namir - that I know - was supposed to bid on me... I figured we could have a little fun together... and it'd all be for a worthy cause." She seems to regain herself to begin punching once more.
Desmond watches Sage quietly as his question hits home and she goes on a tangent. Though an important one, which he gives some thought as and after she speaks. That she might have set up her own purchasing doesn't seem to bother him. Though he does question, "I would assume that this one was not the one who placed a bid upon you? Or perhaps he did not win as you had expected? You do not like the one who did win a date with you?" He steps ahead a bit, though it seems a reasonable path to tread. he holds the bag casually, more focused on Sage than it.
Quietly, the slender redheaded woman makes her way into the gym, pausing within to pass her gaze about. Perhaps she has a reason for being here, or perhaps not, but... either way, she seems out of place. It's one place that she never feels like she belongs. Yet in her perusal of those in the space, her gaze settles upon Sage, which is perhaps an unexpected thing. A small smile tugs at the corners of her lips, and she lifts a hand to brush aside the snowy hood of her cloak. Late though it is, Isabeau doesn't look tired, and she starts to cross the room towards where the two are, mindful of where she's walking.
The gym is fairly empty at this point, leaving the three to their own devices in the gym except for other lingerers or staff that may be about. Sage doesn't seem to notice the entrance of the redheaded woman yet. A haymaker lands on the bag, before Sage follows up with a few light jabs. She lets out a breath, "I don't understand the reasons yet... but some of my people stopped him..." she says, working a few more punches in, "There's not going to be a date... unless you count a tea meeting with an Elder..." She lets off another heavy punch. "That's usually not good." She explains.
Desmond considers what is said. He too will not yet gather upon Isa's approach as he replies, "I could not say on that, for I know not your elders, thus I must take your word for this not being a positive thing. That this man was stopped.. it suggests that there are those who did not agree with your plan. Though I do not see the harm in it, if the both of you agreed to this. It seems.. improper to stand in the way of such a thing."
Empty, or fairly empty, isn't so bad of a thing. It at least means that Isabeau doesn't look as out of place as she otherwise would. Lifting a hand, she brushes a stray bit of her hair from her face, smoothing it away to tuck it behind one of her ears, where it likely won't stay for long at all. Isabeau comes closer to them, and once near, she stops in an out of the way place. She doesn't intrude, for there's nothing pressing about her presence here, and one of her eyebrows quirks slightly as she catches the last part of the conversation, a flicker of curiosity showing in her eyes.
"Some of them are nice." Sage says, before she seems to want to unleash a fair bit of energy as she goes back to throwing heavy punches until she hugs onto the bag for support. "But, there have been others that haven't always seemed to be at odds with me for reasons I have yet to understand..." She breathes a little heavily, then noticing something out of the corner of her eye she looks to the readheaded woman. A smile coming to her lips, "Hey Isabeau." She says softly, "Just figured I'd work something out." She explains.
Desmond continues to listen to and observe Sage mutely as she works the bag and speaks of fragments. His head nodding once, then again to the details offered. His attention shifts when she catches sight of Isa, the big male fixing on the smaller woman. "Greetings, "he rumbles deeply to her before looking back towards Sage. "You believe then that they act to oppose you? You have done nothing to earn such ire?" An honest question given, without accusation.
Isabeau tilts her head faintly to one side as she watches Sage venting her frustrations on the bag, and she lifts one of her hands to softly draw the cloak from about her shoulders. She folds it over one of her arms, and a smile tugs at the corners of her lips. "Hey Sage. It looks like you've got quite a bit to work out, if your punches are any indication," she comments, a smile touching at the corners of her lips again. Her attention turns to Desmond, and she inclines her head to him. "Greetings," she adds, her dark blue eyes reflecting a sparkle in them. "I'm not intruding, am I?" she asks softly, concerned that she is, given the conversation in progress.
"I'm not sure Desmond... maybe I did something that I don't remember... maybe I stepped on toes with other decisions I've made." Sage still clutches onto the bag for a moment longer before she manages to right herself under her own power. She looks to Isabeau, she offers a soft chuckle. "Well, as Desmond would say, I would tire myself too quickly with some of the throws I was making." She experimentally jabs at the bag once more. "But, I don't think you're intruding." She pauses to look around to Desmond, "And, could you walk me back to our apartment complex when we're done here?"
Desmond lets Sage speak for Isa's presence, still considering the words spoken as Sage queries him about an escort back to the Retreat. That draws his more immediate attention and he nods his head once. "I will do so. There is rarely trouble in this area of the city, compared to others, but better to be safe than sorry." A pause, then he gives a firm opinion. "I cannot speak for more than my own experience, but if there are those who seek to stymie your path in life without due cause, you should do what you can to abort their efforts. If they cannot be convinced to cease on their own, look to those who support you, perhaps."
Isabeau raises an eyebrow slightly, and then she gives a small nod. "It would seem that you would tire quickly from such blows as you've been giving," she says softly, her tone thoughtful. Not that she really knows about such things, though. "The fog wasn't outside... at least, not when I wandering about before coming in here. Though I suppose it could be elsewhere," she muses, a small frown touching her lips. She doesn't like the fog, but then... who does? She falls quiet for a brief moment, then brings her attention to Sage. "I had an idea, for our potential garden... but we can talk about that later, if you'd rather," she offers, blushing a little.
"That is likely sound advice... if only I knew if it were friend or foe that will attend the tea ceremony." Sage says softly, and nods to Desmond's words about walking home. "Thank you." She says, before turning to Isabeau offering a small smile. "And I have been punching for a bit before you came. And... heavy punches can be like sprinting in a marathon." She notes, before shrugging faintly. "A moment, if you will, Desmond." She says, stepping away from the bag. She regards the redheaded woman. "I could use something else to think about... what have you come up with?" The smile returning to her lips.
Desmond seems fit to speak further on the matter that was being discussed, but by the time his thoughtful pause comes to an end, Sage turns her attention to more pleasant matters. Thus, for the moment, Desmond will allow that line to pause. Though as Sage walks off just a bit, he'll continue to listen. With her having moved away from the heavy bag, the big male will inspect it. It's one of the normal bags, not reinforced to handle those of his physical power. Though it can serve a purpose. WIth an ear remaining perked towards Sage and Isa, Des will round to stand before the bag. Focusing for a few moments before he takes on a loose combative stance. When he punches at the bag, it will be a careful, restrained blow. One that holds power, yet is throttled back so as not to damage the heavy bag. These sort of ever so careful strikes will be what he tosses as he listens mutely to the two women.
The small woman tilts her head slightly to one side as she listens to what Sage says, and there's a frown which comes to the corners of her lips. "What is involved in a tea ceremony?" she wonders, curious as to if there's anything she might be able to do to help. At returning to the topic of the garden, though, a smile curls at her lips. "Oh, well... what I was thinking is that, what if we didn't have to come up with the money for the property ourselves? What if we found someone to fund us to get started? Kind of like getting a loan from them, then paying them back along the way," she muses, her dark eyes sparkling. If Desmond listens, she doesn't mind, for it's nothing secret. And she does have something to ask of Desmond, as well, or so she considers as she glances briefly to him, taking notice of the punches he delivers to the bag. Though her attention comes easily back to Sage, to await the other woman's reaction.
Since Desmond makes no further comments, Sage mainly focuses her attention on the shorter woman. "Its... deceptively simple." she replies, "It is supposed to be an informal way that Elders can approach... potential issues that can affect the community. The person receiving it, gets the honour of humbly offering tea while listening to their wisdom." She says, "But... things do not always go as intended." She shrugs softly, deciding not to go into fuller details than that for now. She listens to the comment about how they may be able to get started on that garden of their's. "That could work... although, there may be different drawbacks to that approach that I'm not as familiar with." She purses her lips, "We would also have to figure something out if we were to try getting it in the Dregs... I've been getting a sense that a random act could take out all that we have carefully prepared with little recourse for it."
Desmond continues to land his careful blows into the bag, attempting to raise his pace without raising his power. Though with his discreet listening, he doesn't gain too much speed, attention divided enough to distract him just a bit from what he's doing. THe mention of the Dregs gets his attention, the big cat pausing his striking to look towards the two women. He relaxes his stance, then turns to come nearer. "You intend to do something involving the Dregs?"
Isabeau gives a little nod to Sage's explanation. "Ah... well, it is perhaps easier to go with an open mind to it than to let worries cloud it for you?" she suggests, raising an eyebrow slightly. It's her small piece of advice for the situation, and in having never gone through a tea ceremony herself, she's not sure what else to be able to offer. "There are always drawbacks to borrowing money from someone else, but... it would mean that we would be able to start sooner rather than having to wait to get the money ourselves. The Dregs is not the greatest place to have a garden, I would have to admit... it's not even the greatest place to live, but... well, I manage because I have to," she says softly, blushing a bit more. She's as careful as she can be, there, but she knows it's not 'safe'. Her attention turns to Desmond, and then she lifts one of her shoulders in a slight shrug. "We're considering the idea of it, but... we're not sure. It's convenient because it's not expensive and because I live there, but... it's not so convenient because it's not really safe," she comments, ducking her chin a bit.
Sage smiles softly to the woman, "That's one way to look at it." She concedes, unsure of how things will end up working out. "It may be possible to use land near the air strip." She says, "But, that could mean waiting longer or borrowing more money." She looks to Desmond. "We're basically looking to get a piece of land that we can work with." She explains, looking to Isabeau once more. "I know you've been living there, and you may be right that it could work out. I guess the location could work either for us or against us as well... relative to where you live." She glances over to Desmond, "Do you have any input?"
Desmond listens quietly to both women, his eyes panning between the two. He'll be silent for a few moments after Sage's additions before he gives some thoughts. "I would not advise land within the Dregs. It will be cheap, yes, but so too should you consider who shall live around it. You could see many troubles taking that course." He pauses then for a moment before adding, "But.. if you must, then you would do well in joining your venture to another.. one that is established and has no trouble. Share land.. or place your garden atop their building." There is another pause before he adds, "This is.. simply for a hobby or to display to others?"
Much like Sage, Isabeau is uncertain as to how things will turn out. Yet she's eager to figure things out, and to set things into motion. "Aye, it would likely be possible to use land near to the air strip. There are some places near there that would work quite well," she comments, her tone thoughtful in nature. "It's less expensive there than near the park, though the Dregs is still the cheapest option. But, cheap isn't always the best. It's better to choose a location that would work best for the garden rather than necessarily what would be best for us," she muses, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "The garden is to make healthy produce to be able to sell, whether it be to the deli in town or to other people. So.. not really a hobby, and not really to display. For profit, so we're looking for a fair piece of property," she adds, blushing a little.
"We'll likely have to do a little research to figure out what are options would be to prevent having too many troubles." Sage concedes, "And, I look forward to being able to get started... but we likely should not move to undue haste either." She considers, "I will likely have a better idea of the resources I can offer when I get things squared away as a result of helping the militia find out what happened to their patrols." She says, "Until then, perhaps we can engage in a little small talk as I head back to my apartment." She offers, waiting long enough for a reply before heading for the change room to set the course of action in motion.
"You will not want to do that in the Dregs, "Desmond states in no uncertain terms as Isa gives detail to the intent. "Many are hungry. Some may seek to take what is grown and I doubt it will be within your means to guard what you grow day and night to see that this does not happen." He then looks to Sage and nods. "I would say one thing.. this tea meeting. It will be a time to gauge who amongst your people is friend and foe. Such things you should discover as soon as you are able, to better decide what actions to take." He'll then keep it light on the way back. Tags: desmond, isabeau, sage
