It's The Quiet Ones (Open)

[Kyle Nellist]

Kyle was there early- about seven, with his classes starting at eight. He was in the gym, wearing shorts and a loose white T-shirt and stretching. It had been a while since he felt the need to get in morning workouts- the young Nellist wasn't really the fighting lover. He never really understood those who found dominating someone to be a liberation. A validation they never found at home. Kyle's home life was good, outside the whole murder misunderstanding, and so already had that strong base.

It was easier for him to blame home life, he guessed, than to try and reason through people genuinely liking pain and blood. Whatever the cause of breaking knuckle on bone, he saw what school life here was like. It was necessary that he keep himself in tip top shape.

So, as his stretching concluded, he stepped up to the bag and touched it. Getting a feel for the weight. Then, he brought his hands back in a boxing pose and let out a couple of snap jabs.

Just to get things started.

[SJ Taylor]

Two weeks. 

It had been two weeks since SJ started school at 259 and, safe to say that she has NOT ADJUSTED VERY WELL. Why was this school so GOSH DARN BIG? It just didn't make any sense. No matter how many times she walked the halls with Burrito while making a mental map...she could never get it quite right. But then again, every time she tried to walk through the entire school, there was always an interruption. Girls would squeal and run to pet Burrito - who really, REALLY did not like that, by the way - or a teacher stopping her to tell her that pets weren't allowed, only to realize that they were in the wrong..or running away from mean people because THEY ran into HER. (No really, they did, because Burrito is trained in that way, y'know?) 

Who would want to pick a fight with a blind girl? Well 259 just doesn't give a damn. 

So that's literally the only reason she burst through the doors to the gym with Burrito leading the way. Because she was running away from people and she knew the gym was close. But right after bursting through, she pivoted and slammed the doors shut and was pressing hard against the door, using all of her body weight...even though she knew that was pretty much futile. She's not a fighter, damnit. What would she possibly do with the strength to pick up a car? 

Oh boy. She should've just apologized yesterday (yeah, some people just don't let go of grudges), but no. She had to just hold her ground (kind of- she ran away shortly after).

"Ahhhh crap. We're doomed."

There were voices that were getting louder by the second...and she braced for impact, sure that the doors would be forced open.

[Kyle Nellist]

Kyle stopped, turning to the noise. He had a very light sweat going, so he wasn't yet tired in the least. A girl with a dog had her back pressed against the gym, the empty facility echoing with the sounds of the slammed door. A frown shifted through his face as he stopped, his taped hands coming down to his sides for a moment to watch her before her started walking her way. The walk turned into a jog as he would call out.

"Hey! You okay?"

He slowed as he approached, unsure if the dog would get agitated or protective should someone come running up on her. Kyle was, for the moment, blissfully unaware that there were people chasing her, the young male just looking out for her in case, perhaps, she was hiding from a teacher or a parent.

And yes, there were reasons to hide from both.

[SJ Taylor]

"Hey! You okay?"

At the sound of his voice, SJ momentarily lost focus. She hadn't realized that another person was in the ro---

BOOM!

SJ went flying (no, more like pushed back several feet onto her butt) as the doors burst open to reveal two dudes. Completely normal looking dudes with no outstanding features except maybe their ugly faces- well, SJ doesn't know this but she doesn't have to be blind to know that someone's ugly. SJ quietly groaned under her breath before scrambling to her feet, trying to figure out what direction she's supposed to be facing- which was completely wrong. She recalibrated herself when she heard Burrito growling and the unfriendlies, and she backed up a little more, only to run into one of the weight machines and topple over...again. 

My life is a joke.

"You. We're going to have fun with you." 

"I'm a very boring person. NO FUN AT ALL." 

LOL. Way to go, SJ. That'll do the trick.

But then she remembered! She wasn't alone! She turned her head in the general direction of where she heard the boy's voice. A habit she picked up because most people don't realize you're talking to them unless your face is facing their face. 

"Go grab a teacher!!" 

[Kyle Nellist]

He blinked as she went flying, looking at the two boys and back to her. After she turned to him and shouted for him to grab a teacher, he made a quick assessment. Alright- two dudes, closing it. It would take probably five minutes or so to grab a teacher capable of jumping in or stopping them. A Pillar would be better suited but their office was a ways away and there was no promise of protection from them, especially if they weren't around. He shook his head and ran over, sliding in between them and the girl.

He put a hand behind his head and grinned broadly.

"Fellas, fellas....what say we let the girl and her seeing-eye dog off the hook, eh? No honor in beating on a blind girl, right?"

He guessed that she was, considering her utter disorientation after she was blown off her feet. Despite his relaxed posture, he was actually coiled like a viper- ready to defend the honor of the girl he didn't know.

[SJ Taylor]

Ugh. UGH, UGH, UGH.

SHE HATED BEING A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS. BRUH, SHE DID NOT ASK YOU TO BE HER SAVIOR. SHE ASKED FOR YOU TO BRING A TEACHER TO BE HER SAVIOR. A million thoughts were running through her head. What happens if this kid gets beat up? Omg then it's TWO people that Burrito will have to drag to the nurse's office. And if memory served her right, THE NURSE'S OFFICE WAS FAR AWAY. Poor Burrito. 

Oh shit. What if they kidnap Burrito? 

SJ severely underestimated the difficulty of this school. 

"There's no honor in beating anyone, period." 

Oof. Time to fake it 'til you make it. 

"Burrito, sit." 

A pause. The white dog sat.

"Burrito used to be in the K9 unit and is professionally trained to bring someone down. Don't believe me? Then go ahead and try." 

Well, she was only half lying. Papa bear had gotten her Burrito when she turned 13 and then had the pup go through the necessary courses and training to be a seeing-eye dog as well as a K9 companion. Papa bear was fiercely protective of his daughter, and one can never be too safe. She didn't know to what extent Burrito was trained, but knowing her dad... 

Only one tried. He launched forward but not at Burrito- at the boy- while the other ran out.

Guess he cared about his honor. 

[Kyle Nellist]

He looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, I don't know about that. I think there's some honor is beating people. Like, say a dude rapes your friend- I'd find some honorable satisfaction in putting a boot to him. And it's not like-"

He was going to finish with 'It's not like you're incapable of defending yourself, but two on one just doesn't seem fair' but the two men took advantage of his being distracted and punched him. He stumbled backward a step or two with grunt before spitting in the face of the one on the right and leaping forward to throw a knee into the gut of the one on the left. This would hopefully divide them, giving that dog a chance to do what the girl said he was trained for.

And. Y'know. Bite stuff.

[SJ Taylor]

If a dude raped her friend, a beating would not be enough!!! If that happened, SJ would hope that the piece of crap got caught and sent to jail, wasting his life away because of he thought with his dick!

SJ winced. She could hear flesh knocking against flesh, which meant that Burrito was already on the second guy, biting and dragging him across the room and further away from the others. Burrito's bite would unfortunately puncture the poor guy's skin multiple times, but that's what he gets for trying to be a bully. Of course, the guy, in his thrashing around, eventually got loose and booked it- leaving just one guy to fend for himself against the work-out boy who talked too much and Burrito, her lovable, fluffy companion. 

Burrito started barking and growling at the boy that was in a tango with Kyle. 

She hoped the jerk would just run away too after realizing his friend ditched him...

[Kyle Nellist]

After the knee, Kyle threw an uppercut, sending the guy to the ground in a slide. The male, bleeding from the lip, would take off running after seeing her friends bloody arm. Both, it seemed, were all talk! Kyle, not disappointed but relieved, would bring his right hand down to his stomach where the guy had hit him, groaning as he fell into a crouch.

"Owwwwwww...."

He would take slow breaths before glancing back and standing.

"Why were they mad at you?"

[SJ Taylor]

"Holy crap, I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to drag you into this mess. Are you okay!?"

SJ felt really bad. Mental groan- how does one fight without being able to see? She was literally the lowest level of the food chain in this school and nice guys like this bumbo were going to have that, 'Omg n33d 2 save dis damsel in distressssss' mentality and get hurt. Don't get me wrong!! SJ was very thankful for his help because who knows what would have happened by now, but it was settling on her that she could be a very big burden to a great lot of people who had even an ounce of kindness at this school. 

"...they ran into me yesterday and demanded that I apologize...and I didn't." 

That was literally the entire story. Burrito is trained to specifically guide SJ to avoid running into others, and passing periods weren't a problem because she was let out of every class 2-5 minutes early. 

"I'm so sorry, I feel terrible. Are you hurt a lot?" 

She wasn't sure if she was facing the right way. Usually she has a good grip on orientation but her mind was racing with so many things at once-- 

Burrito whimpered and nudged SJ, his bar-leash finding its way back into her hand. 

[Kyle Nellist]

Kyle would stand, letting out a slow breath.

"You didn't drag me into it- I dove in head first. You told me to run and grab a teacher. Not your fault I decided to stay. Rather it be me that took the punch than you."

Despite him acting like it, he really didn't think he had a hero complex. More like a good person complex. Had he run to get a teacher, the dog would have been able to get one while she had to take on the other. And getting beat up would happen to anyone there, but when you're blind it just seemed....more wrong to him. He would tap her shoulder, being she was facing away from him. Gently, he'd take both and face her in the proper direction.

"There."

He'd furrow his brow.

"So...uh, question....do you like, know how to fight?"

[SJ Taylor]

Oof. She had to be a little more realistic- she was so used to people letting her do her thing in private school but here, people weren't exposed to disabled people because this was apparently a place where you come to get disabled. So peoples reaction to her were on the extremes- either super, super careful of every word they say and how they walk around her, or went out of their way to be super, super not helpful. 

She turned and he aligned her more properly- again, something she wasn't used to. 'For a blind girl', she was used to being more independent...but, she was thankful because it slowly helped her to process everything that had just happened without worrying about where he was oriented. 

"Ah- thanks, my bad. Annnnnd no, I don't. I didn't think I ever had to learn it, though I'm not so sure how someone in my position would even learn to begin with."

Pause. 

"I suppose I'm either the only one or one of very few who don't know how to fight..."

[Kyle Nellist]

He would nod with a smile, only realize she wouldn't see it and blush, thankful she wouldn't see that either.

"Ah, yeah no problem."

When she said she didn't know how to fight, he thought she must be incredibly lucky. His sensei would come out to his family's estate a lot and teach them how to fight without certain senses. Being as rich as they were, if someone every wanted to kidnap them it might seem like a battlefield- full of flashbangs, disorientation. You had to learn to develop other things. Quick reaction times, fight sensing through touch or smell, without eyes or ears.  He would put his hands on his hips.

"Well shoot. My name is Kyle, and I'd like to teach you how to fight if you're up for it!"

He would give a little smile, unwilling to let a girl get by with only a dog to protect her.

"Back when I was with my family, they used to blindfold us to make sure we knew what to do in any situation. It was tricky because we always wanted to take the blindfold off. With you, it'll obviously be easier, and vastly more important. People are gonna try and take advantage of you any way they can, and having both a friend and the ability to step in for your own defense will help." 

The friend he was talking about was himself- that's right, Kyle was always looking for more friends, and if he could hero-complex this girl into being his friend, why not jump at the chance?

[SJ Taylor]

"Well shoot. My name is Kyle, and I'd like to teach you how to fight if you're up for it!"

"Seira, but you can call me SJ. And yea--wait, what?" 

"Back when I was with my family, they used to blindfold us to make sure we knew what to do in any situation. It was tricky because we always wanted to take the blindfold off. With you, it'll obviously be easier, and vastly more important. People are gonna try and take advantage of you any way they can, and having both a friend and the ability to step in for your own defense will help."

There was a mixture of shock and disbelief just plastered on her face. Was he being for real? Were all the students at this school that intense, where they had teachers and stuff to teach them how to fight while restricting them of certain senses? That just seemed a bit over the top, but then again, SJ was completely oblivious to what his family did. Must've been a pretty gosh darn important family for all of that to happen...but then that begs the question: what's someone in his position doing at a school like this...? 

And a friend? Well, yeah- friends would be nice, especially at a school as bad as this. Not that she would use him as a human meat shield or anything, but it would be beneficial to be able to ask someone for help because that's what friends do, right? Right. 

She didn't think it was possible to learn how to fight, but if he says so... 

"...okay. I guess I'll try it out." 

She still wasn't so sure because she had never fought in her life. She had pretty good reflexes at the most random of times, and her clumsiness significantly decreased since her younger days (well, she's still young), but she just couldn't imagine being a blind fighter. Did those even exist...? Skeptical. But not impossible...

[Kyle Nellist]

He clapped his hands together, once.

"RIGHT! Let's do it!"

He walked over to the punching back and planted his hands against the stand, rolling the massive thing backward to the wall and leaving it there. First lessons wouldn't need items like that, after all. He'd head back over to her after and gently take the leash of the dog (if she'd let him) and walk the pup over to the stand to tie the little thing to it. Then he'd come over to stand in front of SJ and see what he had to work with in terms of her balance and posture.

Okay....how best to start. Probably check her senses. Teach her how to develop that more for combat?

"Alright so....you may or may not realize it, but the body has a way of overcompensating for loss of senses. If you live somewhere in the city you may not have noticed since there is so much noise going on around you. It sort of...dulls it. But with your loss of sight, you'll find that you can hear things to a nearly superhuman level without even really trying. I mean, you're not gonna be daredevil but....peoples body movements should be easy."

He walked forward and took her by the shoulders lightly.

"Go ahead and sit. Now, neither of us is going to talk or move for a few minutes. I want you to focus solely on everything you hear around you. You don't have to tell me about it, just really attune yourself to it."

He'd step back once she was sitting and wait.