Avalon (CVnU Enterprise/Location)

Exhaustion has been my constant companion over these few days...

I woke up three minutes before I needed to leave for work and still managed to make it on time

This woman is so dense, I feel a sneeze coming on.

@lena_dante:

Relatively unfamiliar with the Daring Dante's former career as a roof-traversing crusader for the greater good, Gabriel resolved to educate Avalon's resident silver tongue specialist in the practical applications of unarmed combat. He could never allow Lena to relive the torturous ordeal she had been subjected to by the unrelenting cruelty of Lucian LeBeau. Martial training, persuading Santiago to gift the woman with some protective, armored body-suit, anything to prevent her from sustaining such physical and psychological wounds. And yet as he strode into the gargantuan physical dimensions of the building's gymnasium, his emerald eyes expecting to be greeted by the sight of a beaten and broken woman, he was met with an elfin smile.

One that was immediate in drawing a reciprocal smile of tenderhearted contentment from the Copper Cobra. Perhaps Lena truly could never be broken. Perhaps the tales of her mental fortitude were not hyperbolic exaggerations. Internally, the Catalan felt compelled to rush towards her and embrace her with impassioned fervor, though as his steps brought him closer to the diminutive Dante, and as both arms moved to affectionately wrap themselves around her slender frame, he didn't, their lips did not meet in a salacious exchange of amorous chemistry. Instead, a hug of doting intimacy, his resolute voice softening, "Lena, its heartwarming to see you this well again. And smiling", a tame laugh escaping his bearded visage. Unwrapping both arms and stepping back, his gaze lingered for a moment.

It was during these times that the Barcelonan Boa truly wished he was as bold and risque as his brother, Santiago. Mildly shaking his head, a partially self-amused smile curling, his focus returned to the prioritized matter at hand. "Are you ready to begin?", he inquired, "There's a lot I want to teach you".

D'awww. No, don't you ever change. LOL

Cosigning this. I adore Gabri.

@lea_drago: @satine: LMAO I'm glad you like the character.

I am in no mood...

@jaegerjaquez: No mood for what? You alright? =s

@_ophelia_: Relatively. Inconvenienced on multiple levels.

@gabriel_porthos:

She lost herself for several moments, ensconced safely in his arms. Lena was a woman who could take care of herself, for the most part. It seemed recently she was learning her limits. But in those moments as she was held within his affectionate embrace, their differences in size briefly highlighted, she felt as if nothing in the world could harm her. She felt safe and comfort....and something else. The other feeling lingering at the edges, threatening to creep into the moment, was a feeling that was neither safe nor comfortable. It was a feeling she wanted to explore, one that had been building for quite some time, but one that she pushed down in this moment.

The scent of his cologne lingered in the air as golden yellow eyes shot up to his. That mischievous smile curved her lips again as she took a small step back, putting a minute amount of space between them, as much as for her own state of mind as for anything else. "I never properly thanked you for everything you did for me." There weren't words that could encompass how much it had meant to her, and she refused to embarrass both of them by trying. "I owe you a home cooked dinner, or something."

Tucking an errant strand of hair back into her bun, Lena nodded her assent. "I like to believe that I'm an apt pupil, eager and willing to learn." There was a mischievous undertone to her words, accompanied by a sparkle in her eyes. "What's our first lesson?"

@jaegerjaquez: Well whatever these inconveniences are, I hope they don't annoy you too much for too long. Good wishes and stuff :u

@_ophelia_: Gracias. I hope too.

@lena_dante:

Though his appreciation for her sincere gratitude was evident, the prospect of Lena thanking him with a home cooked dinner rendered the otherwise self-assured Barcelonan Boa somewhat bashful. "Oh..", his right hand instinctively rubbing the back of his neck, a partially timid laugh escaping his sheepish smile as his malachite gaze shifted for a moment, intent on escaping the sensation of being suffocated by Lena's enrapturing charm and beauteous smile, Gabriel's eyes soon returned to meet the bold Dante's, "I'd like that", he confessed, issuing a quick nod of thankful cordiality, "Gracias". Clearing his throat, the Catalan's focus now rested on refining Lena's stand-up grappling with premier Judo training.

"Judo is our first lesson. The art's emphasis on technique compliments someone of your physique, whereas something like freestyle wrestling or Greco-Roman requires a great deal of physical power", Gabriel began, highlighting the fundamental differences between Judo and the globe's most popular incarnations of wrestling, as far as their basic principles are concerned. "What you have to do is put pressure on your opponent's weak planes. A weak plane is really just an alternative term used to describe your opponent's positioning or footing when they are easy to knock over. If they aren't balancing themselves properly, then their planes are weak. Or if they're putting too much emphasis on balancing themselves, you can force them into a weak plane".

"Someone like Lucian is probably a good fighter. In a clinch fight, his defensive awareness will make him expect strikes from the opponent. And a fighter's ability to absorb strikes is determined by how strong their plane is. So maybe he's expecting a knee from you, so he shifts his weight onto his left leg to brace his body for the impact. But when this happens, you step forward, bringing your leg next to his left leg and use your right hand to secure a deep grip around his back and then drive him over the leg he is already leaning on by using his left hand while hooking and pulling away his left leg with your right foot. Without any balance and posture, he would be sent flying to the ground. It is called the Kosoto Gake throw", Gabriel explained, "Do you mind if I demonstrate the throw then we see if you can perform it on me?".

LOL I knew they were going to do that. So predictable.

@gabriel_porthos:

"De nada." He was cute, she thought to herself, casually watching his gestures as she promised dinner. Her motives were not pure, not by any means, but his reactions...they interested her, quite a bit, and only endeared him to her further. Gabriel Porthos was more dangerous than she had originally thought.

And just like that, she flipped a switch, moving from teasingly light flirtation to a laser-focused attention. Lena Dante was an apt student, always hungry for more. More knowledge, more contacts, more skills. There was never enough for her, and her ability to focus in on something, and learn it quickly and well, was almost unparalleled.

He was a good teacher. His instructions and explanations were clear and concise, easy to understand. Lena visualized the information he gave her, took it, and processed it. Doing so until she believed that she had an understanding of it, of the mechanisms that he was explaining to her.

"So the basis is utilizing your opponents weak planes, manipulating their centers of gravity and forcing them into positions that makes it easier to attack their planes, and to cause faulty positioning, thereby making them more vulnerable to attack?" Her brow furrowed slightly as she soaked in the knowledge, the perennial student always truly eager to learn more.

Lena pictured the technique he was describing in her head, her opponent LeBeau. She wasn't delusional enough to believe that in reality she had any chance of standing toe to toe with him, but here, she allowed herself the fantasy of pounding his face in with her bare fists, if only for a moment. "Please, show me." She nodded her consent, stepping forward into position. She hadn't realized how much she needed something physical, something she could utilize, to feel herself again, to feel alive again. It was only here and now that Lena was coming to the realization of everything that had almost been taken from her, and she had a hunger to regain it.

@lena_dante:

"Yes, that's exactly it", Gabriel confirmed with an enthusiastic nod, his noble features lighting up with evident contentment in response to Lena's eerily quick grasp of the concept behind weak planes. "You're a quick learner", he smiled, "Judo is a very good martial art. For the most part it negates a size and weight advantage your opponent may have on you. Like with me for example. When I first started Judo, it was bigger than everyone else but when we would spar, the small guys who had done Judo before would beat me up", a tame, sheepish laugh escaping him, "And it was strange for me because they were 1.67 meters when I am 1.93". Lightly shaking his head at the mentioned memory, the Copper Cobra resumed the light training session.

Meeting Lena's ready approach with a welcoming smile, the Catalan conducted himself with tangible gentleness during the throwing maneuver's demonstration, "I will be careful", he assured, "Try to lean on your left leg", Gabriel instructed, stepping forward as she complied, bringing his leg next to her left one while using his right hand to lock a deep but relatively gentle grip around her back prior to driving her over her left leg, executing a subtle push with his left hand while his right foot hooked and pulled away her left foot, plummeting the Daring Dante to the training mat in a soft landing. Chivalrously assisting her to her feet, Gabriel encouraged her approach, "Okay, now you do it to me".

My head is f'n killing me. I'm going to be in the worst mood if this persists -_-

@la_espada: Aww :-( Have a LL heart <3

I should, but I don't feel like eating.

Two days now. Must be going through one of those phases.

@impero: falls off chair whilst doing spit take, snaps elbow, screams and in the process shatters overhead light bulb, shards of glass rain down and ultimately blind him, tries rolling away, tears palms to shreds, lies in pool of blood 'till janitor comes past whistling a song by Johnny Cash.

Is that phase starvation? :O

.....Yeaaaaah ya think?

@strigidae_23: Gracias, LL :) It's all better now..

Mr. Mercury is one of my favorite RPG'ers now that I think about it.

@la_espada: He is really underrated.

@strigidae_23: Incredibly so.

Why is it Financial Aid can fck people over, these loan companies can call 5 times a fcking day, and yet when I call them to sort shit out they hang up and leave me waiting -_- ugh

*tries to keep calm*

He must be a pain in the ass to deal with LOL.

I wonder what ever happened to Bluff? His stuff was fun reading.

*Looks at post count*

*posts*

I'm afraid to post right now

Already know what to do for her eventual return ;)

@la_espada: Hmmmm... Xandra and Santi need to have a little chat.

@brainchild: Have her stop by then :)

@la_espada: I'll work on it. Had to gush over Hannibal gifs first. LOL

@la_espada: After the events upon the Odyssey Dawn, Xandra had promptly left Santiago to demolish a small, uncharted island in the Pacific before returning. Her maternal revenge had been denied, and she was quite furious. Not just at Señor Porthos' strategic retreat but also at Lucian. And her daughter. When the reality of it all set it, she needed to be as far away from sentient life as possible. As angry as she was, she couldn't kill her own daughter, one of the few creatures on this miserable planet she truly loved. The sorrow tore at her heart, but she hovered like a stone figurine, cold and emotionless, in the air above the destruction she had wrought, the ground twisted and jagged from telekinetic ruptures. The blood red sky reflected off her naturally blue eyes, her golden hair flickering like fire in the wind.

Her icy gaze might have chilled anyone who dared to look into her steel blue eyes as she passed into the building. She arrived at Santiago's office in her characteristic white with a gentle rap upon the door. Locking away her emotions was safest for everyone. This was a time for reason. And so she waited at Spanish genius' door.

Today, I will enter interior decorator mode. Definitely.

Also need to get on my to-do list.

@the_psyentist:

"Come in, Doctora Steele", the smooth notes of the Black Viper's voice echoed through the beige door, encouraging the morally ambiguous Psyentist to complete her ingress. Seated upon the edge of his gargantuan desk, arms coolly folded before the impeccable sculpt of his chest, Santiago's mesmeric, predatory, sapphire gaze rested upon the image of the arriving psychiatrist, his features yielding to the emergence of no socially engrossing smirk or any suave facial mannerisms. His visage retained the earnestness with which he conducted himself during the concluding moments of his bout against the Ultra-Sapien. "Your daughter has become a complication", he began, "For both of us. I will avenge my 'sister'. Anyone foolish enough to come between my vengeance against LeBeau, I will kill".

"But not your daughter. I will not take the life of your little nina, she is my secondary objective in this endeavor, to bring her back to her mother", Santiago paused, his gaze never wavering from Alexandra's icy glare, "But that does not mean that I will do nothing should she interfere with my desire to bring justice to those who have wronged me. I will not kill her. You are my ally, Doctora. But if she interferes, I will strip her of her powers, permanently", he warned. "I underestimated LeBeau's ability to influence her, and I overestimated Sophia's idealistic and psychological fortitude. But she did not attack you, she still feels something for you. So, what do you suppose we do?", he began, "Use her affection for you to distract her while I destroy her X-Gene so that you may drag her away from LeBeau without resistance for her own good? Or do you have another method?".

MACHIDA VS ROCKHOLD!!!

Vitor Belfort's tripping if he thinks an undefeated champion who outstruck Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva can't contend with his stand-up striking.

O_O

@la_espada: I think Weidman is vulnerable to TRT Vitor because Weidman covered up and hunkered down when Machida flurried. If he did that against TRT Vitor he'd be in serious danger. And that furry is Vitor's bread and butter. I feel like Weidman has a lot of other advantages.. but he showed a vulnerability to the one thing Vitor has always been good at.

@strigidae_23: True, but isn't Vitor off TRT? In any case, Weidman's ability to chain his takedowns with his stand-up striking is what I think will maybe allow him to outstrike Vitor on the feet. TRT Vitor is a very different fighter from regular Vitor.

@la_espada: He is. Allegedly lol. And he looks a lot smaller. That said I think it will be interesting to see if it was TRT that gave him his explosiveness or if he was just an explosive guy who happened to be using TRT.

@strigidae_23: He does look a lot smaller. Weidman and a couple of other fighters even pointed it out. I can't be sure if the TRT is what made Vitor fight like that but ever since he was KO'd by Silva's front kick to the head, Vitor's been fighting like a man possessed by a vengeful god of war, he even knocked out Dan Henderson. If that's the Vitor that Weidman'll face, I'll have to agree with you that on the feet, it's suicide, but I think that was TRT Vitor so.. ;P

@la_espada: No joke lol. I heard he was training with a world class kickboxing coach after that loss too, which might be why he has been so deadly with his feet.

@strigidae_23: The spinning heel kick he added to his arsenal was a sniper ;)

@la_espada: Its probably the best spinning kick in MMA. Or was. We'll see what its like without TRT.

@strigidae_23: My thoughts exactly, bella.