come on and rise above it

[wille]

CHARACTERS: Misato + Sam, Damon and you!
WHEN: DAY 012
WHERE: Training area
SUMMARY: Work, work, work, work, working on my shhhh
WARNINGS: None really!

FOR SAM: When you're born in the dirt the only way to grow is up.

[ Misato has her forehead against the floor, her arms forming guards on either sides of her head as she kneels there gasping for sweet, sweet oxygen. The thought that runs through her mind is becoming more familiar, punitive, blaming herself for having spent so many endless nights and days poring over battle reports, test results, requests to different arms of the UN, superfluous apologies for collateral damage, rather than keeping up her physique. There was never enough time for exercise, not enough time for proper meals let alone to think about them, not enough time to prepare or to live life as it should be lived.

She silences it all with a decisive statement: It was necessary. To survive.

She turns her head at the same time as she allows herself to fall to her side in a loose fetal position, letting out a pained groan as she does. ]

Damn it.

[ She never makes any concessions for herself. That feels too much like cheating. It doesn't matter that Sam can probably bench press her with one hand or that he's a veteran of real wars, unlike her pseudo ones fought against amateurs, or that he has had more time to train. She measures herself against him and falls far short, and uses that as reason to drive her further onward.

She may seem defeated, lying there on the floor, but her mind resonates only with resolve, unyielding, ironsteel. She needs to get better, and soon, now, regardless that her body is crying out for merciful release. ]

Another round. I need all the training I can get.

FOR DAMON: Gotta know where to go where angels fear to tread.

[ There's no such thing as overpreparation or too much training when the days leading up to the mission stretch on, turning her anxious with anticipation. She needs to be as strong as possible in all the ways she knows, only then will she feel ready-- no, that too is a lie. She will never feel ready, forever standing on the balls of her feet, prepared for the worst.

Only this time that extends to her broodmates, those extensions of herself, knowing that she needs to ensure they are just as strong. Shepard can fend for herself, Beth is proving hardier than she seems and Kavinsky has powers that renders him godlike. That leaves Damon. Being undead doesn't necessarily make him invulnerable. He could still fall to the same strange sleep as Sirius, he could be incapacitated, he could turn mercurial and useless to her, there are no guarantees, but that has never stopped her from trying to make her own hedges. Misato raises the stakes when presented with unknown, impossible stakes. It's the only way she knows.

So here they are. Her with her arms wrapped in the hems she cut off of her white slacks to turn them into shorts, all the better for mobility, standing with legs apart and ready for a fight. ]

If you can knock me down, I'll let you take a bite.

[ Why does that even sound sexual. Vampires, why. ]

FOR STEVE: Better make the shot go straight just like an arrow.

[ Misato lives a binary life. All or nothing.

When she's awake, she's awake, filling every moment with an unending list of pending tasks. Going, going, going. When she sleeps, rare as that may be, she's sleeping, dead to the world, commonly helped by alcohol when sheer exhaustion fails to do its work. It's probably fortunate (for her, unfortunate for others) that most people who snore hardly get the luxury of hearing their own horrifying sounds and as such she has little point of reference for the cacophony that makes its way through the walls of her room. Persistent, rising in volume every time she nearly drifts off to sleep, like a kind of auditory water torture.

Eyes still half open, she casts aside her blanket and stomps her way toward the sound, never allowing herself even a moment to rethink this. The knock on his door is unabashedly angry, with the might and force of a raging bull. ]

Are you strangling a lawnmower in there or what?

WILDCARD!

[ Throw me anything for last-chance station shenanigans! You can check out Misato's offscreen activities and bad habits right here. You're also most welcome to PM me or hit me up at unhedged to plot something out. ]

Comments

[wille]

[ She lets go without protest, crossing her arms over her stomach, striking her usual pose albeit with an amused smile playing on her face. The girl's determined, more so than others, and that counts for a lot by Misato's books. ]

Well, you know, I've met less likely heroes and they turned out okay.

[ Okay, she says, the master of understatement. ]

Run twenty laps around the room for me while I grab a few things for us.

[greentech]

Twenty laps-?!

[ Oh my God, this is exactly like the Garrison. Can't be any worse than Allura and Coran's training, right? She groans, but she starts running. This is gonna be a long day, isn't it? ]

I'm just warning you, I get pretty sweaty.

[wille]

[ Oh, this is about to be so much worse. Misato's expression turns from mildly pleased to extreme displeasure the moment Pidge expresses alarm at her order. ]

What's that? Complaining already?

[ There's little anger belying her words no matter her displays of irritation. ]

It's only a problem if you slip on your sweat and hit your head. Otherwise, get to it.

[greentech]

It's a free country!

[ Katie retorts, but she is starting to run. Besides, she's a teenager. Complaining is in her blood. ]

[wille]

This ain't no country! It's my training.

[ It's not even a planet, or a galaxy, or an anything really. She sets aside the thought before it gets too existential, moving across the room to find a long unadorned pole and something that resembles a baseball bat, tapping it against the ground impatiently. ]

Not done yet? You gonna make me wait until I'm eighty?

[greentech]

[ WOW, give her some time to actually run, Misato. She shoots a rather typical teenage sulk in her direction as she starts on another lap. ]

It's not my fault I have short legs.

[ One of these days she'll hit a growth spurt. Hopefully. Still, she focuses on running and it doesn't take her too long to finish her first assignment. ]

[wille]

[ Misato is quiet for a moment, uncharacteristically thoughtful when she walks toward the edge of the room as if to observe Katie closer, before she plants the pole against the wall to stop the girl in her tracks. The expression she wears is serious, severe. ]

You keep saying that, how things aren't your fault, well it doesn't matter. Life isn't a fair game. Suck it up and find a way to make up for it.

[greentech]

[ Katie jumps as the pole comes slamming down in her path. Unexpected. She stares up at Misato for a moment, looking confused and then more irritated. She rolls her eyes and sidesteps (or goes under) the pole. ]

I wouldn't be here if I didn't find a way. It's how I ended up in the Garrison. It's how I ended up a paladin.

[ She folds her arms with a defiant little scowl. ]

I already know life isn't fair. I don't need you to lecture me about that.

[wille]

[ Persistent. It's enough to take her aback, eyes widening in surprise before her expression reverts to mild amusement laced with acceptance. Alright. If that's how it's gonna be. She takes the pole back and plants in on the floor, tweaking a little smile at the girl. She may not know what Garrison means or paladin (isn't that a better word to use for their heroes, rather than children?), but she doesn't think she needs to. ]

Fine. No more lecturing. Are you sweaty enough yet?

[greentech]

[ Huh. Pidge blinks and then decides to shake it off. It's not worth arguing about and apparently Misato is ready to move on. That's fine with her. She rolls her shoulder and half grins. ]

If I say "yes", you're just gonna want me to run more. So probably not, especially since we haven't even started>

[wille]

[ The grin prompts one from her too. The girl is starting to get it. Sometimes, she doesn't mind being so easily read. Isn't that better than not being understood? She takes one step backwards before turning around to walk over and take her place in the middle of the room. ]

Nope. Come out here. Let's work on your core, it all starts from there.

[greentech]

[ "Core workout". She's heard that one before so she sort of knows what's coming. She follows Misato out into the middle of the room and takes a few stretches. She's actually feeling pretty energetic, all things considered. This isn't too bad.

Maybe she won't be a complete mess by the end of this. ]

So, what? Pushups? Crunches...?

[wille]

That'd be boring. Save it for homework.

[ She sets the bat and the pole to the side, then stops to think, mind clearly spinning for ideas, before she goes to fetch a ball at the last minute. She gets down on the mat into a plank position and gestures for Pidge to follow suit. ]

We're playing ball. I'll hit this toward your left hand and you hit it back, then I aim for your right hand, and so on. But maintain the plank.

[greentech]

[ Sweet Jesus. Katie settles onto her hands and knees and then takes a breath and hoists herself into plank position. This is gonna suck. She can already tell.

But she did ask for this, so she can't really complain. ]

OK-!

[ She sounds a bit strained. ]

Let's go!