Topic: While home is not an option... a girl has got to eat.

Beka

Date: 2015-02-22 12:39 EST
The name of the Academy was actually the Rhydin Higher Standard Academy for Boys, it sounded so pretentious to Beka so she tended to just tended to give it another, less knobby sounding names. Today had been a challenge for her as they decided that she should also be teaching the supernatural boys some fighting techniques. They were faster and stronger than she was but her superior experience had edge them out and earned some respect from the group that had started the lesson certain that she would be useless.

Beka had an hour break before her next class so she went to the practice yard, wanting to keep her muscles warm she was going to go through some of the fighting stances. Picking up a half-spear and moving to the center of the practice area before she began, the first movements of the kata already resolving some anxiety that had been building the past few days. The spear was an extension of her body, the deadly weapon danced with her in a way that she could not seem to achieve when just dancing alone. Her long coppery hair was loose and as she executed each new strike, parry, sliding step it whipped around her face. Her eyes were closed, she was focused and her body was running on instinct through the patterns that she had practiced since she was a child.

Midway through the exercise she sensed others nearby, they did not approach her sphere of influence so she pushed the knowledge to the side and brought the kata to its conclusion. She stood there, a light sheen of sweat on her flesh for a long minute and then there was clapping. Her eyes opened and she saw some of the boys from her next class had arrived early and were looking at her with undisguised admiration. Among the boys there was one of the other instructors, she could not recall his name, nor what subject he taught and he was looking at her in a way that kind of made her flesh crawl. It wasn't that he was leering, no, the pale blue eyes had little warmth in them.

"Thank you boys. You should start warming up if you're here. We will be doing alot of work and none of it good on stiff muscles." They seemed more than willing to begin the warmup routine she had taught them, leaving her and the other Instructor alone in the area. "G'day. Do not think we have been proper introduce. I am Beka McKenzie, newly hired on to teach these boys to respect their weaponry." The man stared at her for a long moment before he turned and walked away. "Well....then. Suppose he isn't a fan." She shrugged and walked over to where the boys were warming up. "Have any questions for me before we start?" The others would filter and she would integrate them into the exercises, but there was no reason not to start this group off early.

Gavin was the first to pipe up. "Yeah, who was that guy you were with yesterday?" Followed quickly by Sean. "Yeah, was he your boyfriend" Does he fight with the spear or the sword?" Timmy seeing an opportunity not to be missed. "Does he often thrust his spear at you?"

Beka moved faster than these boys could counter, giving each a solid thump on the head with the haft of the spear she still carried. There was a chorus of pained exclamations and wounded expressions at the end of the single pass. "I am your Instructor, I want you boys to be able to come to me when you need an adult for any reason, but that does no give you the right to ask me those questions. Have I made m'self clear or should I continue to explain?" The spear was casually hefted in her hand.

"No, ma"am! We have it, we are very sorry." Came the frenzied replies. From Darren, who had been silent up until then. "They're just jealous, if you have a boyfriend that means you won't go to the spring dance with them, Instructor McKenzie."

That took her back a moment. "Go to the....oh for the love of....you boys can get a date much more suited to your age and station. If you want pointers on how to proper ask a girl I might be able to help but really, you should not set your sights so strangely." The boys all muttered and shuffled. "Let's begin, all girls like a man that can handle their weapons." There was a chorus of snickers and Beka liked to think that she hadn't thought that through before speaking, was more likely she was too used to the mentality of men and would need to work on her "teacher" speak.