Topic: Better Healing Through Superior Firepower

Riley ORourke

Date: 2010-09-14 00:02 EST
The shooting range was located in the basement of the Red Dragon District Watch House.? Despite David and Riley no longer being active members of the law enforcement community of Rhy'Din, they were still welcomed onto the range with open arms.? In fact, the Watch encouraged anyone who lived in the city, regardless of whether they were Watch or former Watch, to visit the range to keep their marksmanship skills up and to take the occasional safety course as well.

"Ready to blow the crap out of some targets?" David asked, giving Riley a little grin.? He was trying his best to be as upbeat and cheerful as he could be.? It wasn't all that easy, since he was feeling the loss of Dan, who had become like a brother to him, pretty strongly too.? It wasn't half what Riley was feeling, though, so for her, he was trying.

She nodded and waited for the desk sergeant to show up, so he could check them in and give them their ammo.? "Yes, I believe blasting the sh*t out of things would be a good thing right now."? She turned to face David and cocked her head to the side.? "Do you think they'll let us play with the Barrett or the shotguns?"

He glanced around the range.? It was dead silent there, not another soul around.? They'd practically had to wake the sergeant up to get into the range.? "Hell, don't see why not.? It's not like anyone's here to bother.? I'll ask when he comes back."

The short, portly man with the florid nose came ambling back, a friendly smile on his face.? "Here ya go," he said and handed over a box of .45 slugs.? "Gonna take the Sig out for a test run, boss?" he asked Riley.

She smiled at the lingering moniker and nodded.? "Yeah, I think that's the one I've settled on.? The P250, right?"? She glanced up at David, a brow raised in question.

It made David smile a bit that the sarge still called her 'boss'.? "That's the one," he confirmed.? "Yeah, we'll play with that one for a while," he said to the sergeant, "but we were thinking about taking some shots with the big stuff later.? That okay with you?"

The sergeant chuckled.? "What were you thinking about, Lo?? We've got that Desert Eagle, a Browning sniper, the Barrett..."

"Definitely the Barrett.? Maybe the Eagle too, that should be fun.? Got one of those MP5 around, too?"

"You weren't kidding about the big stuff.? Yeah, the MP5's still around.? You let me know when you're ready, okay?"? The sarge gave both David and Riley a warm smile and then ambled back upstairs to his station, leaving the two of them alone in the range.?

Riley watched him go, a fond look in her eyes and then turned to peer into alleys through the thick, bulletproof glass window.? "Well, shall we?"

"You bet," he answered, leading her through the range to one of the alleys.? By habit, he choose one far from door; the were usually the last to fill up.? Not to mention they were the best cover in case someone came in shooting.? He handed her a set of ear protectors, and put one on himself.? "Let's see what you've got, babe."? Nodding towards the target already waiting at the end of the alley.

She grinned and slid the shooter's glasses on to her nose.? She held the gun as he'd taught her - her right hand holding the pistol's butt, index finger in the trigger guard, left hand curled around the bottom of the pistol, supporting both the gun and her hand.? She pulled back the slide, and raised the Sig to eye level, lining up the rear and front sights with the target that David had placed 50 feet down the alley.? Then she took a deep breath and as she released it, fired a two-round burst, just as he'd taught her.? Then she fired off two more two-round bursts followed by a final three-round to finish off the magazine.

When she finished, he hit the button to bring the target in so they could see how she did.? As the target slid closer, he could see that she'd grouped most of her shots nicely in the target's center mass.? The final three, however, she'd put into the target's head.? "Showoff," he said, grinning at her.? "Nice job.? Could qualify for most PDs with grouping like that."

She slid the ear protectors off and flashed him a big grin.? "Yeah, well, I kinda had a wicked awesome teacher."? She held out her hand for another magazine after ejecting the empty one and setting it aside.

"You've got a point," he said modestly, handing her another mag.? "Let's try some snap shooting for this one."

"What's that?" she asked as she slid the magazine into the butt of the gun and made sure it was seated well.

"Hold the gun pointed at the floor of the alley, then bring it up and fire as quickly as you can acquire the target in your sights.? Don't worry about firing a lot of shots fast, this is to improve your aim more.? On the street, you don't always have time to stop and take a firing stance.? If you can hit your target as soon as you bring the gun up, you'll take your target out fast, often before he can react."

She nodded and put the ear protectors back on.? Squaring her shoulders, the pistol pointed at the floor as he instructed.? She raised it quickly, her arm a blur of motion, took a quick aim and fired off her shots, adjusting her aim on the fly, quickly emptying the magazine.

"Good," he said, bringing the target in again.? This time, most of her shots where in the upper left shoulder of the target, with one in the center.? "You were pulling up a bit too much," he said, "but don't worry, you'll get better with practice.?? You hit the target, which is a lot better than some do trying this the first time."

She made a sour face and ejected the empty magazine.? "I wanna go again," she said reaching for another full magazine.

"Be my guest," he said, handing her the mag.? "This time, before you start, hold the gun up and aim for a minute or two without firing.? Get yourself dead on, and pay attention to how your muscles feel, where your arms are in relation to your head.? Then when you start, visualize yourself duplicating that feeling."

She nodded and concentrated for a moment on how everything felt once she had the target dead centre in her sights.? She memorised how her arms were arranged, the feeling through her shoulders and down into her back and torso.? Then she dropped the gun and quickly raised it until it felt similar and fired off her shots until the gun clicked empty.

"Feel better that time?"? He hit the switch to bring the target in again.

"Yeah," she said and took off the ear protectors and laid them next to the gun on the little shelf at the head of the alley.? "I tried to memorise how it felt, like you said."? She turned to watch the target coming in, a little smile when she saw her groupings.

"Nice," he said, looking at the target.? "You're still pulling a bit, but you got a couple of shots through the lungs, and that last one looks like it probably nicked the heart.? That guy's toast.? You're probably overcompensating a bit for your weaker arm."

Her eyes narrowed a little, though they retained their good humour.? "Weaker?? You wanna rephrase that?"? She reached out and poked him with her so-called weaker left arm.

He caught her poking hand and raised it to his lips, giving it a little kiss.? "Your non-dominant arm.? Better?"? He was grinning at her.

She chuckled.? "Much.? You wanna go?" she asked with a nod to the gun.

"Nah," he said, shaking his head.? "This is your show.? Want to do some more with the SIG, or switch out?"

"I want to play with that Desert Eagle," she said eagerly.

He chuckled.? "That's my lady - she loves the big guns.? Be right back."? He went back to the desk and got the sergeant to bring out the hand-cannon.

Riley ORourke

Date: 2010-09-14 00:04 EST
David brought the Desert Eagle back to her with a box of ammo. Riley watched him approach, a hungry look in her eyes, the palms of her hands itching to try out that giant .50 caliber pistol.? She reached for it eagerly, practically jumping up and down with excitement.

"Okay," he said when she took the gun.? "Take it slow with this one.? I know you're strong enough to handle the recoil, but it's still going to buck hard in your hands--It'll probably hurt the first few times.? It's also really freaking loud and bright, so be ready.? It's only got 7 shots in the mag, so you'll run out faster than you expect."? He grinned again.? "Back home, it's more than thirty bucks for a box of twenty rounds, too, so shooting one a lot isn't cheap."

She frowned at that and glanced guiltily towards the stairs.? "He gave us a whole box?"? She slid out the magazine out of the gun and began filling it with the bullets.? "With the budget the way that it is?"

"That box has been sitting around for a while," he said.? "Honestly, most people find the recoil and noise too much for comfortable shooting."

"Oh, well, I suppose that's okay then."? She loaded the mag and hefted the gun; it was considerably larger and heavier than the Sig.? "It's gonna hurt, huh?" she said in a small voice and then glanced up at David.

"Yeah," he said honestly.? "With your ears, it's going to hurt even through the protection.? Go slowly.? Take a shot, and wait for the next, if you still want to shoot it."

She nodded and then brought the gun up, holding it in the shooter's stance he'd taught her.? She cocked her head a little to the side and looked down the barrel, sighting it in the dead-centre of the target.? Then she licked her lips nervously, took a deep breath and fired.? The gun jerked in her hands and she felt the recoil clear up into her shoulders and neck muscles.? But worse than that was the awful sound.? She winced and carefully put the gun at the head of the alley.? "Christ, that hurt!" she said as she clamped her hands over her ears; even through the protectors, the gun's bark was painful.

He brought the target in so she could see the hole the round made; much larger than her SIG.? "You okay?" he asked after giving her ears a minute to recover.

She nodded and took off the ear protectors, laying them next to the guns.? Her shot was a touch high and to the left, but still relatively close to the middle.? "He's down a lung," she said and reached out the flick a finger against the silhouette.

He grinned.? "With a slug like that, he's not getting up, either.? What do you think of the gun?"

"It's too loud.? My poor ears are still ringing from it.? But other than that, eh," she shrugged.? "I like the Sig better.? It doesn't make me want to clamp my hands over my ears and cry."

He nodded in agreement.? "The majority of people agree with you.? The Eagle's not really a great choice for self defense.? Too big to carry easily, too hard to fire with any degree of control.? Not to mention too much chance of collateral damage.? A normal wall won't stop that slug."

She nodded.? "If that gun was loaded with silver, I could see it easily taking down a Lycan in the midst of a berserk rage.? Is the Barrett as loud?? If so, I think I can skip it."

"That's for sure.? Yeah, the Barrett is pretty much as loud.? When you're firing slugs that size, it takes a big boom to launch them."

She frowned thoughtfully and then looked up at him.? "Will you call me a girlie-girl if I don't want to fire it?"

"I've seen you rip a guy's face off," he answered, grinning.? "I'd never call you a girlie-girl. I think you can handle a single shot.? It's not like you can go deaf from it.? Don't you want to tell all your friends you fired a fifty caliber sniper rifle?"

That drew a sudden bark of shocked laughter.? "Peer pressure?? David, that's low.? I can think of exactly one person who might care that I've fired the Barrett.? But sure, bring it on.? Let's try her out."

"Okay, fine, you got me.? I just really want to see that rifle in your hands.? Let's go outside, though. Sarge won't let us fire it in here."

She nodded and repacked the Desert Eagle before going back upstairs to the outdoor range. David brought the Desert Eagle back to the sergeant while she set up targets.? She had to admit that being here tonight, concentrating on improving her technique was doing wonders for her grief-stricken heart.? Daniel hadn't ever come with them to the range, reminding them both that he was English and an Alpha Lycan - what possible use did he have for guns? Had Unseelie Sidhe not been a constant worry and fear in her life, she would have agreed with him.? But considering how easily Eamon had taken her down and how easily Maeve had kept her down when she'd gone up against them using just her Jaguar's weapons, she felt much better having that extra bit of protection.? The steel-jacketed bullets were definitely deadly weapons against the Fae.? One shot with a .45ACP slug and that Faerie was going down and staying down.

Riley ORourke

Date: 2010-09-14 00:17 EST
A few minutes later, he came back carrying a massive rifle.? It was over four feet long, with more than half of that from the barrel.? The end of barrel flared outwards, giving it a distinctly sinister look.? He was grinning as he handed it to her.? "Okay, we've got here the Barrett M99 sniper rifle.? This baby can end your life from well over a mile away."

Her eyes grew big and she hefted the giant gun.? It was freaking heavy ? it had to weigh better than 20 pounds. "Jesus.? A mile?"

"Yup.? So far away that the bullet hits before you even hear the sound of it firing.? This rifle is bolt-action, so you have to manually load a round and work the bolt to fire it.? There's a newer version, the M107, that's semi-automatic, but it's not easy come by."

She nodded and set the bipod on the platform.? "Show me how to load it?"? She stepped back and let David move up to the rifle, peering over his shoulder.

"It's pretty easy, really."? He worked the bolt up, pulling it back, slid a round into the port, then pushed the bolt forward and down, locking it closed.? "Just like that."

The bullet David fed into the rifle were huge, easily as long as her hand from the middle knuckle of her middle finger to her wrist.? She whistled long and low.? "Holy crap, that's a big bullet. Okay.? And it's ready, as is?"

"Yeah, it's ready to go."

She stepped back up, cradled the rifle's stock against her shoulder, and looked down the scope, adjusting it so that she could easily see the farthest target.? Glancing up at David, she gave him a tiny, fierce smile, and then went back to looking down the scope.? After sighting once more, she squeezed the trigger gently.? The kickback was something she was completely unprepared for.? The rifle's stock pounded into her shoulder, hard enough that she knew she would have a bruise - even if it didn't last long.? But again, what she was completely unprepared for, despite David's warning, was the thunderous report.

"Damn!"? Even with the ear protection on, it was loud as hell.? He winced in sympathy for her far more sensitive Super-Kitty ears.? He gave her a minute to recover, then asked, "How'd that feel?"

She slid off the ear protectors and rubbed her shoulder.? "It's gonna leave a mark."? Then she smiled and nodded to the rifle.? "That, I like.? I imagine it would do wonders on a Fae." There was a huge hole in the middle of the target - if it had been a living being she'd shot at, it would be sans heart now.

He grinned.? "Plus, that's one of the hottest things I've ever seen."

She shook her head and laughed.? "You are a sad, depraved man, Lo Mein."? She glanced back at the rifle and then at David once more.? She held out her hand for another round.? "Once more, I think."

He laughed, a genuine, heartfelt laugh.? "Tell me it wasn't sexy, firing that gun."? As he spoke, he handed her another hand-long round.?

"Well, of course it was sexy as hell.? That's why I want to do it again!"? She grinned and chambered the cartridge, sighted down the barrel and fired.? This time, she was ready for the sound and the recoil and neither hurt as badly as they had the first time.? "Yeah.? I like that.? I like that a lot, in fact," she said once she'd slid the ear protectors off and stepped away from the rifle.

"I like it a lot, too."? He couldn't resist stepping in close, sliding his arms around her waist, and kissing her hard, right on her lovely lips. She made a tiny little startled noise before wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close.? Some distant part of her brain wondered if it was a little odd, getting so turned on by the thought of firing such dangerous weapons.? Then a much larger, closer part of her brain reminded her that if she was in a bad mood, she was a dangerous weapon.? And then a still larger part of her brain told her to stop thinking and kiss the man!

His lips crushed against hers, tongue sliding gently between them to explore and tease.? Her extra-warm skin ignited a fire of passion inside him, just as it did every time he touched her.? Christ, he loved this woman.? Anything he could do to make her happy, he would. She found herself jumping into his arms, wrapping sinfully long legs around his waist and cupping his face between her hands.? She made a soft noise of wanton need and kissed him thoroughly, ignoring the desk sergeant's scent as he entered the range and cleared his throat.

After what seemed like days, he slowly pulled his mouth from hers, and still holding her, turned to raise an inquiring eyebrow at the sergeant. The sergeant had the grace to look away, a red flush creeping up into his cheeks.? "Uh...just wonderin' if you folks were about done here.? If you...uh...wanted the MP5?"

Sudden laughter welled up inside him, and he fought to keep it down so he could answer the man.? "I think we'd like that, yes."

Riley slid down David's body to land lightly on her feet.? Only David would know what the hand forced through sable tresses meant as she turned to face the sergeant? "Thank you for letting us play with the Barrett.? It was very...uh...fun."

The sergeant took the Barrett from David, the embarrassment quickly turning to shop talk as he asked David questions about the guns and the Boss's shooting skills.? Riley turned away with a smirk and headed back downstairs to police their expended brass, dumping the spent shells into the buckets placed at the end of every alley.

Riley ORourke

Date: 2010-09-14 01:16 EST
After another few minutes, David returned, carrying a compact, lethal looking? gun.? After the monstrous Barrett, it looked almost petite;? just over two feet long with a very short barrel.? "This is the MP5A2," he said.? "It's a 9mm sub-machine gun, made by our friends Heckler & Koch."? He handed the SMG to her so she could get a feel for it.? It was far lighter than the Barrett, less than 6 pounds.

Her brows rose and she gave the gun an experimental heft.? "It's so much lighter than I thought it would be.? Is it set for full auto?? I've always wanted to pretend I'm Rambo and do the whole spray and pray thing," she said with a lethal little grin.

He chuckled, shaking his head.? "Right now, it's on safe.? You'll note a little selector lever by your thumb when you're holding it.? The selector on this variant of the MP5 has four settings rather than three.? Safe, single shot, three-round burst shot, and fully automatic.? You should try it on single shot first, just to feel it.? This gun's really easy to handle.? The recoil is less than a lot of handguns."

She nodded and held out her hand for a magazine.? Once he'd dropped it into her palm, she loaded it, flicked the little lever to single shot, held it up, sighted and squeezed the trigger gently.? It was loud, but was nothing compared to either the Barrett or the Desert Eagle.? And David was right about the recoil - her favourite Sig had more of a kick than the HK.? She fired off three more shots and then lowered it, glanced over at David.? "Can I try auto now?"? She was grinning like an anticipatory kid in a candy store.

http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu69/Hatsu-Hana/riley-mp5.jpg

"Sure, go for it," he said, grinning.? Her enthusiasm was infectious.? "Be warned, though, you'll empty it fast.? This gun fires 800 rounds per minute.? That's about 13 shots per second.? The mag's only got 30 rounds in it, so it takes less than 3 seconds to empty at full auto."

She made a happy little girlish squeal and turned back to the target.? She flicked the lever to full auto, sighted and then pulled the trigger.? The gun roared and leapt a little in her hand and she giggled like mad, even after the magazine was empty.? "Oh, my god.? That was fun.? I wanna do it again!"

"Be my guest," he answered, handing her another magazine.? "I love a girl who loves her guns."

She loaded it and then fired again.? She watched the paper target at the end of the alley get shredded by the cartridges and felt a wild, animalistic glee, imagining the target was the body of Maeve...or even Eamon.? When the gun clicked empty, she sighed a little unhappily.? She would love to have fired it again, but she'd become very conscious of the cost of each magazine - costs the Watch had to eat, thanks to the "governor's" ham-fisted economic management.? She set the gun down and slid off the shooter's glasses and ear protection.? "I think I'm in love," she informed David.

"I know I am."? He winked at her, reaching for the gun.? "Let me get this back to the sarge."

She handed it to him with a grin and a wink.? "We're done?"? She was half-disappointed and half-excited - he'd promised her another bagua lesson tonight, after all, and she loved that even more than she did their time at the range together.

"For now," he said, grinning at her.? "We can come back any time you want, you know.? If we buy our own ammo, you can shoot as much you want."

"Ooh, yes.? I think we should do that, and maybe give them something extra, too?? You know, since Driscol isn't ponying up his share?"

"Sure.? Maybe it's not kids, but the Watch is worthwhile charity."

She smiled and nodded.? "You gonna give the weapons back to the sergeant?"

"Yeah, I'll be right back."? He picked up the guns and any remaining ammo and carried them off to find the sergeant."

It took about ten minutes to lock away all of the gear, then David came back into the range, carrying what looked like a small briefcase. She was in the middle of stripping down the Sig for cleaning when he came back.? She glanced up and raised a brow in question.? "Ooh.? You running for the Mob now?" she asked with a teasing smirk.

He chuckled, setting the case down on the counter next to her.? "Open it," he said.

"Nuh-uh.? I'm not getting mixed up in your little seedy sidelines.? I'm a good girl now.? An upright business owner.? A scion of society."

He snorted.? "Dork."

She cracked a grin and that and opened the case, making a big deal of peering into it first, as if she was checking for bricks of cocaine or maybe Semtex. The inside of the case was padded, with form-fitting shapes cut out.? One of the shapes was clearly made for pistol exactly like the one she was currently stripping down.? Next to it was a small box of ammo.? Above the empty gun-shape there nestled a pair of tinted shooting glasses, and to the side of the glasses was a neatly folded up set of straps and a holster. Her brow arched and she looked up at him.? "What's all this?"

"This is my gift to you," he answered, smiling.? "Along with that."? He pointed to the half-disassembled gun.? "I've been waiting for the right time to give it to you," he continued, and shrugged.? "It's not the perfect occasion, but I thought...hoped...it might help."

She smiled softly and then carefully set the Sig parts down before throwing her arms around David's shoulders and hugging him tightly.? "Thank you," she whispered, her lips brushing the outer shell of his ear.

He shivered slightly at the touch of her lips, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her back.? "You're welcome."

She grinned and finished cleaning the gun before putting it back together and laying it in the case.? "So.? Does this mean I can start carrying it?"

"You bet.? It's all yours now."

"Yay!"? She pulled the shoulder rig out and slipped into it, adjusting the fit and then slid the unloaded pistol into the holster.? She wriggled her shoulders a little, settling the straps and getting comfortable.? Then she glanced up at him and said, "Well?"

"Looks great, la mei.? Armed, dangerous, and gorgeous."

Riley ORourke

Date: 2010-09-14 01:17 EST
That tugged a smirk onto her lips and she closed up the case, snapping the locks home.? "You know, Deacon tried to get me to carry, especially after that Hunter sent those silver bullets to my house.? My reason for not wanting to seems kinda silly now."

"What was your reason?"

She licked her lips and her smirk took on a slightly self-effacing look.? "Well...he wanted me to carry concealed and the vast majority of my work clothes don't have pockets.? So he took me shopping for bags that are specially made for women who carry concealed weapons."? She scrunched up her nose in distaste.? "They were all clunky and ugly."

The laughter that had been threatening when the sergeant walked in on them burst its damn now, spilling out his mouth and making him clutch the counter top for support.? "You," he gasped,? "You wouldn't carry because you didn't like the purses?"

She socked him gently on the ball of the shoulder.? "Shut up!? Don't laugh.? Fashion is very serious business!"

That just made him laugh harder.? He sank down against the wall of the alley, shaking with mirth.

"Assh*le," she muttered and clunked him in the side of the head with her knee as she passed by him, going to the stairs that led up to the exit to the building. He grunted as his head bounced off the wall, then pushed himself to his feet, still chuckling, and walked after her.

"You know something, Mister Smarty Pants?" she tossed back at him over her shoulder as she proceeded him up the stairs.

"What's that, Miz Hotty-Pants?"? He responded immediately, slowly getting control of himself.

"You're lucky I love you...and that you're cute."

"Yes, I am lucky," he replied seriously.? "The luckiest guy around."

She stopped and turned to face him, leaning down a little to place a kiss atop the crown of his head.? Then she started up the stairs again, quickly leaving the stairwell and giving a tip of her imaginary hat to the desk sergeant

He nodded to the sergeant on the way out, said goodbye to him, then followed her out the door.? "So, ready to beat me up now?" he asked.

"Yes, I do believe I am.? Especially considering how much you just laughed at me."

He winked at her.? "Just making sure you're worked up enough for it.? Where do you want go kick each other's asses?"

She snorted and then gave a little shrug.? "The Studios maybe?? That's the only place I know of with a big, open space.? We can pull out the tumbling mats if your girlie little butt needs the extra padding."? She smacked him soundly on the body part in question.

"Studios sounds good," he said, narrowing his eyes at her and giving a mock growl when she spanked him.

She smiled at him, all sweet and innocent.? "How'd I do tonight, Teach?"

"You did great.? Just keep up the practice, and you'll be shooting like a pro in no time."

She beamed under his praise and nodded.? "Thanks for teaching me and for...well...everything," she finished in a soft voice.

He draped his arm over her shoulder and tugged gently on a hank of her hair.? "Believe me, it's my pleasure.? Not just because I love you, either.? It's great teaching someone who's really interested in learning and is talented, too."

Now she blushed and gave him an embarrassed smile.? "Bet you say that to all the pretty girls you teach to shoot and fight."

"Never taught a pretty girl to shoot or fight before."

"Never?? Not even Charlotte?"

He shook his head.? "Oh hell no.? She hated guns and violence.? She didn't even like it when I talked about work, in case I had to, you know, catch a bad guy."

She gave him a disbelieving look.? "Then...how did you guys work?"

He shrugged.? "Uh...guess we didn't, seeing as how she ditched me and took the dog as soon as this weird sh*t happened."

She frowned and stopped walking, sliding out from underneath his arm to face him.? "David...something must have attracted you to each other.? And honestly...I can understand why she left.? You didn't talk to her, didn't communicate with her.? It's nearly impossible to have a functional relationship without that.? I found the hard way."

He gave a little sigh, and nodded.? "Yeah, I know.? It was my fault, too.? Shouldn't have been so glib about it."

Riley ORourke

Date: 2010-09-14 01:18 EST
"No, baby.? It wasn't your fault.? It was no one's fault.? It had to have been hard to talk about, right?? Probably thought you were going out of your mind or something."

"That's exactly what I thought, and the one time I did try talking to her about, that's what she though, too."

"So, see?? No one's fault.? Don't beat yourself up over it.? Let me do that."

He snorted.? "You can try."

"I'll succeed."? They'd reached the Gardens now and she headed inside with a smile on her face.? That smile disappeared instantly, however, as she saw the shut and locked doors of the Bodhi Tree.? She slumped and reached out to hold the doorway to steady herself.

He was beside her instantly, reaching out to hold her, distract her from the forlorn sight of the closed Cafe.?

She shook her head, as if trying to deny the fact that Daniel was gone.? She looked up at David, her eyes filled with unshed tears.? "I did this, didn't I?? I drove him away."

He stroked her hair back, shaking his head.? "No, no.? You didn't drive him away.? He chose to leave, because he thought it would help you."

"I was happy, David.? You know?? For the first time since Andy died.? I had you and him and this place and friends and the girls in my classes...? And now he's gone and I feel..."? A tear rolled down her cheek and she angrily pushed it away.? She stood and moved away from him, digging the keys to the Studios out of her pocket to unlock the door and go inside.

He followed her inside, moving up next to her.? "What do you feel, Riley?"

She set the case down on the desk in the waiting area and shrugged out of the shoulder rig, storing everything away inside.? Then she braced her arms on the desk and hung her head.? In a tiny voice she said, "I feel like I've lost everything."? She knew intellectually that she hadn't - she'd only lost Daniel, but she had been utterly in love with him and devoted to him.? His leaving had left a huge hole inside her chest and she didn't know how to fill it.

"Not everything," he said softly, putting his hand on her shoulder and squeezing softly.? "Not everything.? You've got me, and I'm not going anywhere."? Seeing her like this damn near made him cry.? He closed his eyes to get control of himself.

She turned at his touch, burying her face into his chest and holding him tightly for a long moment.? She tilted her head up looking into his eyes and said, "I know," she raised a hand and pointed a slender finger at her temple, "But I don't know," she said and curled that same hand into a fist and pressed it against her chest, right above her heart.

"Then we'll just have to show your heart, won't we?"? He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

She nodded and closed her eyes.? Taking a deep breath, she straightened and the steel visually crept back into her spine and a bit of the old Riley came out once more.? "C'mon.? Help me drag these mats into the studio so I can kick your ass."

"Don't think I'll make this easy on you," he warned, giving her a very small grin as he grabbed mats and brought them into the studio.

"I don't want you to.? I'm gonna run upstairs and change real fast, okay?? I'll be down in a jiffy."

He looked down at himself.? "Huh...maybe I ought to change, too."

She grinned.? "Yeah, probably ought to."? She stopped by the desk long enough to pick up her gun and then sprinted up the stairs, taking them three at a time with no problem. He was right behind her, charging up the stairs with equal ease.? Sometimes it was fun to run like mad for no real reason.

She smacked the door frame first and then turned on him with a triumphant grin.? "I won!"

"Savor it, 'cause you won't be winning our little sparring match," he replied, grinning back at her.

She gave him a little insouciant nod and said, "We'll see," and entered the loft, trying to not look at too many of Daniel's things.? She'd have to box those up and have them waiting for him...if he decided to come back for them.? The Closet of Holding was her destination and she went inside, losing herself for a moment in its racks upon racks of clothing.

He quickly stripped down, then put on a pair of his practice pants.? Barefoot and shirtless, he was ready.? He sat down on the edge of the bed and waited for her to surface from her TARDIS of a closet.

She came out eventually, wearing a pair of white running shorts, a mint green sleeveless running top and a white sports bra.? She wolf-whistled when she saw him in his black pants and bare chest.

He grinned, flexing a bit for her while he enjoyed the way those shorts showed off her amazing legs.? "All set?"

She nodded and took her jewelery off, setting the rings and earrings and necklace in the abalone half-shell on top of her dresser and grabbing an elastic band for her hair.? "Yeah.? Want me to pick some music for tonight?"

"Music, huh?? Never tried sparring to music.? Sure, go for it."

"You sure?? she asked as she braided her hair quickly. ?You usually turn your snooty nose up at my musical selections."

"I never do that."

?Pshaw.? She gave him a raised brow kind of look and went over to the racks of CDs they stored near the TV.? She picked two ? Joe Satriani and Steve Vai ? and then headed for the door. He snickered and followed her out, closing the door and locking it behind them.? Then it was down to the studio.? He headed out onto the mats while she put the music in, and started warming up, stretching and performing a slow series of forms.

Riley ORourke

Date: 2010-09-14 01:18 EST
The sound of a sonic boom reverberated through the studio and then the sound of a skillfully-played electronic guitar followed it.? Riley moved around the studio, dancing a little bit as she stretched, hips rocking back and forth, feet moving in time to the quick beat. Fortunately, when he was practicing forms, his concentration was up to the task of not being broken by the sudden onslaught of music.? Besides, he liked rock, whatever she might think. She grinned at his calm and joined him on the mats to stretch out and warm up as well.

It had become a familiar sight, her lean and muscular body stretching and practicing next to his.? His love for baguazhang had not diminished in over thirty years, and he still felt a tingle of excitement when he taught her some complex maneuver that she picked up almost immediately.? He looked over at her and smiled.? "You're the best student I've ever taught, you know that?"

She fixed him with a smile.? "So you keep telling me, though I wonder at the caliber of your previous students."

"One of them has won sixteen different world-class competitions, I'll have you know.? A couple others now have their own, highly respected schools."

Her jaw dropped at that and she looked at him, utterly stunned.? "And I'm...? I'm better than them?"

"You will be, if you keep training."? His tone was completely serious.? "It'll take years, though."

"Well, it's not like I'm gonna die anytime soon."? She gave him a little smirk and then climbed to her feet, backing away to the edge of the mat.? "You ready?? What are we gonna start with tonight?"

"Start with?? We're going to start with you trying to kick my ass."? He grinned and took a stance, raising his arms in front of him.? He turned one open palm towards the ceiling and crooked his hand at her in Bruce Lee's classic 'Bring it on' gesture.

She scrunched up her nose at him and mirrored his stance, crouching a bit on bent knees, arms brought straight up over her head and then slowly lowered in front of her.? She set out in a big circle, feet gliding along the mat, ball of her foot touching before the heel. He immediately began to circle in the same direction as her, keeping a constant distance between them.? This was how most of their practice sessions began, after the warm ups and the lessons.

She lunged for him suddenly, swiping an open palm for his face, a little dangerous glint in her eyes. His arm blurred into a tight circle, wrist intercepting hers and halting the blow.? Immediately, his arm rolled around hers, hand grasping her forearm and pulling her forwards to upset her balance and pivoting his torso to continue the motion.

She stepped into him with the motion of his body, while at the same time twisting her arm in his grip and yanking it away.? It left her with a nasty friction burn, but she was away from him and continuing the slow, gliding ball-heel circle.? "Is that all you've got, Lo Mein?"

"Just starting," he said, flicking his hand towards her face.? It was a feint, though; the real threat was his foot that whipped in an arc along the floor towards her ankles. She saw the incoming ankle sweep and jumped over it, though his hand collided hard enough with her nose to draw tears.? The hit, combined with her forward motion, conspired to knock her off balance, but she was fast enough to shoot her arm out and grab onto him and kept her feet.? She blinked the tears rapidly away, a feral little snarl and growl escaping her mouth.

Leading with her face was an interesting tactic.? He wasn't so sure about its effectiveness, though.? Now that she was holding his arm, it was easy to pivot and pull his arm back in, presenting his shoulder to her chest as she flew towards him. As he pulled her towards him, she shot her free hand out at his face, intending to strike his nose with the heel of her palm and make him cry.? She also raised her right leg and sent a kick to the side of his knee.

He twisted out of the way of that hand, crouching and starting to move in a half circle around her.? It wasn't quite enough to get away from her kick, but enough to take it on his thigh instead of his knee.? Still, with her strength behind it, it hurt like hell, enough that he backed off a few steps instead of pressing the attack.

She began the sweeping circle again, keeping an equal distance between them as she moved.? She had a fierce smile on her face and her skin was flushed with exertion and her breathing was rapid.? She watched him carefully, studying as she waited for the next attack. Her smile was matched by his own, as feral a look as any Lycan.? He nodded in appreciation of her quick response to his attack.? She really was getting good.? He circled around her, darting a step in, then back, just to see if she'd react.

She shook her head a little at the feint, continuing the circle, one hand held out from her body and bent upwards at the elbow, the other held in close against her body.? Both palms were kept open and flat.? It had been her biggest struggle, not to give in and form fists as was her instinct.

"Good," he said as he circled her, breathing easily.? "But you're not going to kick my ass from back there."

"Yeah, and neither are you gonna get me.? So there," she countered and stuck her tongue out impishly at him.

Riley ORourke

Date: 2010-09-14 01:19 EST
"I suppose you're ri-" he said, then lunged forward, cutting himself off in mid-word.? His foot swept out towards her midsection with a snap, while his hands remained defensively in front of him. She dropped under the kick, resting her weight on one foot while the other swept out to intersect with his other leg - the one he'd placed all his weight and balance on.

If he hadn't been inhumanly strong, that move would have worked perfectly.? As it was, though, even on one leg, he was more than able to leap over her sweep.? His extended leg arced up, then came back down directly towards her head. She waited until the last possible moment before that axe-kick connected with her head and then dropped backwards onto her palms, drawing in the leg she'd swept with before and shooting the other out, straight at his leg again.? It was a risky gamble - one that would either end with him landing hard or with her reeling and seeing stars.

Her timing was perfect, kicking his supporting leg out from under him at the same instant it reached the ground, driving it backwards and to one side slightly.? With his other leg extended straight out before him, he had no chance of keeping his balance.? He fell forwards, his foot glancing roughly off of her shoulder as his body twisted on the way down.? He managed to get his hands up to protect his face, but still landing heavily on his side with a thud and a 'whoof' of expelled air.

Not giving him a single instant to recover, she leapt on him, throwing her arms around him and locking his arms against his side.? "Uncle?" she said with a little laugh.

He twisted his head around to look up at her.? "Great move," he said.? "Took balls to watch that kick come down.? You deserve the win."

She grinned and wriggled up his body to plant a kiss against his mouth.? "Say that last part again," she said with a sultry whisper.

"You deserve the win," he said softly against her lips, rolling a bit to get his arms around her.

She stretched out atop him, her hands sliding up under his shoulders to curl around the tops of them, her knees braced against the mat on either side of his knees.? She kissed him, teasing him with nips and licks of his lips.

His fingers slid up her back, moving under the hem of her running shirt to stroke bare skin.? He gasped a little when her teeth closed on his lips, fingertips digging into her back slightly.? "Mmmm."

She reared back and grinned down into his eyes.? "I totally just kicked your ass," she said and leapt off him.? She danced over to the stereo and cranked it up a couple of notches, doing a little victory boogie, shaking her ass, rocking her hips back and forth, really getting into it.

He rolled over and sat up, shaking off the impact of the fall.? His eyes followed her as danced around with her back to him.? "Normally I'd point out that gloating is disrespectful," he said, grinning, though she couldn't see it,? "but in this case, feel free to keep moving your ass like that as much you want."

She did, too, throwing in a couple of belly dancing moves, rolling and snapping her hips, turning in a half circle and bending over backwards at the waist, before sinuously standing up straight again, her hips never halting their motion.? She gave him a naughty little smirk and danced closer to him, circling around him, serpentine steps meant to entice and intrigue.

"Christ," he muttered, feeling a warm flush spread through his body as he watched her move sinuously around him.? His practice pants were started to feel a little tight.? He shifted a little on the floor, considering jumping up and pouncing on her right there.

She grinned at the sudden overdose of pheromones that saturated the room and executed a series of twirls, combining the serpentine grace of belly dancing with the flowing motion of ballet.? Moving around him still in a circle, hips rolling and rocking, she slowly spiraled in closer to him, within arm's reach when she stopped circling.

"Damn, woman, I'm going to burst something if you keep that up."

She chuckled softly at his reaction and slowly sunk down on her knees and then bent backwards at the waist until she was lying with her back against the mats, her arms still in the air, moving like snakes in time to the music.

He slid smoothly onto his hands on knees and crawled up her body, stopping just before his shoulders bumped into her arms, so his head was poking between them.? "Didn't know you knew belly dancing," he said softly.

She enfolded him in her arms and kissed his cheeks.? "Were you here at Beltane?"? She wriggled a little underneath him and pulled her legs out from underneath her body to rest them in his calves.

He shook his head slightly, dipping his head down to kiss her lips softly.? There was a hint of salty sweat overlaying her usual delicious taste.? It just served to spice the kiss up a little more.? He lowered himself until their hips just barely touched, keeping the rest of his body off the ground with his arms.

"Well, Lilliana did this dance workshop and I went and learned how.? I've been playing with it a little since then, nothing too serious though."? She plunged her fingers into his hair and held his head firmly so she could kiss him for a while and he couldn't get away.

As if there were any chance he would try to get away. He made an appreciative noise in response to her words as he met her kiss with increasing passion.? His body descended more, pressing firmly against hers now, and he shifted one hand up to cradle her head.

"We should take this upstairs.? I have no idea what time the Commie Pinko gets in, but I don't think I could stand listening to him cursing my wantonness in Cantonese...again."? She grinned.

He drew back slightly, giving a little chuckle.? "He just enjoys complaining."

"Loudly...and in a language I don't understand."? She wriggled out from underneath him and hopped to her feet, holding her hand out to him.? "C'mon.? Last one there has to be on bottom."? She waited until he was on his feet and then sprinted for the door.