Post by The Man on Jun 30, 2007 15:35:11 GMT -5
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 12:15am
Strype looked around in awe as the elevator opened, never having seen this level of the mansion before. The Professor left the elevator quickly, leaving her to catch up to him. "What place are we going to?" She asked.
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 1:38pm
"The Danger Room. Don't let the name fool you, it's perfectly safe." ::Xavier wheeled off the elevator and led her to the room near the end of the corridor. He entered the code and the metal doors slid open::
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 2:11pm
"Danger room that's safe?" She asked, puzzled. "What exactly can happen in here?" She gasped in awe as she followed the Professor inside. It was a large, empty, metallic room. Could students come in here to let everything go? Or was it a training room?
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 2:14pm
"The possibilities are endless." ::Xavier said over the sound of the doors sliding shut.:: "We'll create a setting to help you feel more comfortable and then we'll work from there."
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 2:24pm
"Create a setting?" She looked around at the blank walls. "You can do that?"
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 2:29pm
::He nodded his head once:: "That's what this room was designed for."
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 2:37pm
As the Professor moved forward, she hung back, head tilted back and looking at the ceiling, then around the room. "You mean, you can make any kind of setting, from a city block to a forest?" She didn't believe him.
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 2:39pm
::He nodded again. He understood why she didn't believe; this technology was certainly not mentioned in the school brochure.:: "Would you like to give it a try?"
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 2:48pm
"How?" She asked, perplexed. She shot him a look of confusion before returning her gaze to the walls of the room.
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 2:54pm
"The danger room uses holographic simulations to create settings. What's your pleasure?"
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 3:21pm
She thought for a moment. "A park, one with lots of trees. Those were my favorite places to stay because no one bothered me if I was in a tree, unlike the streets."
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 3:27pm
::He nodded, understanding the sentiment behind it. He wheeled over to the control panel of the Danger Room and began entering a few commands. After a moment, the black walls of the Danger Room faded, replaced with what seemed like miles and miles of green grass and large trees, open sky and brisk air. It was Strawberry Fields.::
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 3:35pm
She gasped in awe. "Oh, my..." The air was so fresh and clean, and the grass felt so real underneath her feet. "This is amazing!" She jumped in the air once, whooping, before collapsing on her back in the grass, enjoying the sweet smell of it.
Sitting up, she put her hands on her knees. "I've never seen anything so cool," she admitted, the awe unmistakable in her voice.
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 3:59pm
::He smiled at her. Amazing was certainly a word for it. It had taken decades to put this technology together. He remembered fondly the original danger room, with its traps. How the students had thought it was amazing back then. And yet it was nothing compared to the complexity of this modern marvel.:: "It's a very valuable learning tool."
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 4:33pm
"I bet." She couldn't fathom how long it must have taken to build something this complex. She'd never even heard of simulations that could appear this real to all of the senses, not just sight. "So, how will we get started?"
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 4:36pm
"That depends on both your comfort level and your abilities. We haven't explicitely discussed this, but I'm under the assumption that you have both direct and indirect control of your transformation. If that's so, unless you're not comfortable right now, I'd like you to transform."
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 4:41pm
"Yes, you're right," she said. She could bring on the change whenever she wanted, but sometimes it brought itself on whenever she was distressed. "I can't promise I'll be able to fully comply with anything once I'm changed," she stressed. She didn't want him to get mad with her if she didn't follow a request while in her other form.
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 5:26pm
::He nods his head; he had expected that much. Furthermore, that was the point of the exercise, to see what control she had, and to teach her to gain control over her form:: "Don't worry about that. I'm capable of protecting myself, and everything beyond that is a learning experience."
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 5:54pm
Reassured, she kicked off her only other pair of shoes. "Don't want anything to happen to those," she said, setting them aside. Hunching over, she willed the change to come. It was surprisingly easy, but then again, she should've realized that. If it came so easily just because she was upset, it should've been nothing to bring on the change by force. Her features blurred, as her clothes sank into her skin and fur began to cover her naked body. She blushed, remembering that she did indeed become naked for an instant before the fur and stripes took over, but her blush disappeared under the orange and white fur.
Her jaw and snout lengthened as her hind legs became shorter. A tail burst through, bone at first, but quickly overtaken by sinew and flesh and fur. Large furred ears poked through her hair, which disappeared entirely after a moment. It had taken only a moment, but a large tiger sat in place of where she once was, topaz earrings glittering.
Posted by The Man on Jan 27, 2007, 12:14pm
::He watched her transformation carefully, memorizing every detail for further training. When she had fully transformed, he couldn't help but wonder why the earrings were spared the transformation. Perhaps the same reason as her shoes. He'd be sure to ask her later. He met her eyes, not sure if she would recognize him, now that she had become the tiger:: "Strype?"
Posted by Strype on Jan 27, 2007, 12:43pm
Staring at the man she vaguely recognized, she wondered where she was. Looking around her, she smelled trees and grass, but also what seemed as a tangy aftertaste, of what she realized was metal. Her gleaming yellow eyes met with his and she stood when he called to her. What was she supposed to do?
Posted by The Man on Jan 27, 2007, 12:46pm
::He simply wanted to see how much control her human mind possessed over her tiger form. Not afraid of an attack, he wheeled closer to her:: "Nod if you can understand me, please."
Posted by Strype on Jan 27, 2007, 1:50pm
She became nervous as he came over to her, a low growl rising in the back of her throat. What was he saying? She concentrated, trying to understand the words that were coming out. It was no use. She couldn't make out what he was trying to tell her, and she became slightly dizzy from concentrating so hard. Her vision clouded over for an instant, and she laid down on the ground, bringing her head to look up at him.
Posted by The Man on Jan 27, 2007, 7:27pm
::He tilted his head to the side, studying her behavior. Evidently, it would be much more difficult to break through to her than he had first thought. She couldn't understand him. But there was at least one bright side: she didn't think he was a threat. That was as good a starting place as any. He gazed down at her, simply meeting her eyes.::
Posted by Strype on Jan 27, 2007, 10:38pm
She tilted her furry head to one side, imitating him. What was she supposed to do that was so important? It hurt too hard to remember, so she gave up, washing her paw with her large pink tongue.
Posted by The Man on Jan 28, 2007, 12:08pm
::In some ways, he was relieved. At least they had discovered that her tiger form wasn't always aggressive. That didn't help her gain control of the form however. He closed his eyes and simply reached out with his mind, attempting to see if he could reach her consciousness in this form::
Posted by Strype on Jan 28, 2007, 12:47pm
She felt something brush against her mind gently, as if stroking it, and perked her ears up towards the man. Why was he doing that? Professor...the name swam in front of her. Professor? She remembered he was there to help her. Help her with what?
Posted by The Man on Jan 28, 2007, 12:51pm
::A spark of recognition; he was gratified, in a way. They could at least proceed. His eyes still closed, he concentrated a bit more, giving her a memory, of their conversation, so she would remember why they were in the room::
Posted by Strype on Jan 28, 2007, 12:59pm
Her yellow eyes widened as the memory surged into her. This meadow wasn't real, it was a room. They were there to help her control herself. She stood up and walked closer until she was right in front of him.
Posted by The Man on Jan 28, 2007, 3:41pm
::He opened his eyes and smiled softly. She remembered, now. And that meant that they could try to make some segway on control and understanding.:: "Strype, nod if you can understand me, please."
Posted by Strype on Jan 28, 2007, 3:45pm
His words were not as harsh sounding to her ears, and she found she could understand what he was saying. Before it was like trying to listen to him through a fuzzy radio channel, but now he came in clearer. In a slow motion, she bowed her head.
Posted by The Man on Jan 29, 2007, 10:10pm
::Gratified that she now seemed to understand English, he decided that even if they were unable to make any other accomplishments for the day, it could still be deemed a success. That said, it was necessary to see what the tiger could do. He looked down at his watch, pushing a button on it.:: "Strype, can you run to the end of the forest and back as quickly as possible? I want to time you."
Posted by Strype on Jan 29, 2007, 10:19pm
She understood. It was so simple, why couldn't she understand him before? That seemed easy enough, to run. She gave a loud roar, as if she were a foolish cub, and bounded away from him, pawing at the fake grass and reveling in the feel of it beneath her paws. It was something she felt born to do, as she wove in between tree after tree, not tiring in the least.
Posted by The Man on Jan 29, 2007, 10:22pm
::He divided his attention between her movements and his watch. She was fast; it was very impressive. With control, she had great potential.::
Posted by Strype on Jan 29, 2007, 10:29pm
She practically exploded from the cover of the forest, pounding back to where the Professor sat, collapsing on the ground before him, panting with exhiliration. What now? Blood pumping, she felt like she could do anything right now.
Posted by The Man on Jan 29, 2007, 10:34pm
::As soon as she returned to him, he pressed the button on his watch again. 19 seconds. Incredible. He sensed her exhileration and decided that now was the time to test the rest of her energies:: "Are you up for a jumping exercise?"
Posted by Strype on Jan 29, 2007, 10:38pm
She roared. She liked this kind of training, it was fun. With another roar of pure pleasure, she got to her feet, ready for more. Jumping? She could do that. Unconsciously her claws came unsheathed, digging at the dirt beneath her feet, ready for the next challenge.
Posted by The Man on Jan 29, 2007, 10:47pm
::He entered a command into the control panel for a number of branches to appear, fiftten feet apart, six inches higher than the last, beginning with three feet and ending with fifteen:: "See how many of those you can make, if not all of them."
Posted by Strype on Jan 29, 2007, 11:06pm
She bounded over to face the branches, and sat on her haunches, wiggling her bottom and tail, before jumping up with ease onto the first branch. Getting across them was easy, but became progressively harder. Cautious, she had to concentrate on the higher branches, and increasingly used her claws to secure her place on them.
Posted by The Man on Jan 30, 2007, 3:48pm
::He watched her carefully, very impressed with her abilities. He made careful note that she used her claws more frequently to grasp the higher branches and hoped that the addage was true about cats always landing on their feet.:: "Very good, Strype."
Posted by Strype on Jan 30, 2007, 6:37pm
At the very last branch, her hind paws slipped, not having dug in hard enough. Clinging to the branch, she yowled, unhappy with her sloppiness. Using her front paws to claw forward, she slid her hind ones up until they could dig into the branch, and she could sit on the large branch. She roared loudly, partially angry with herself for her sloppiness, and partially happy she completed it. Now, to just get down.
Ever so slowly and carefully, she started to ease down the branches, one by one. At the fourth from the last branch, she slipped again and smacked her shoulder off the branch below, before falling to her feet and rolling onto her side.
Posted by The Man on Feb 2, 2007, 3:41pm
::He had at first been very impressed, by both her determination and her ability. As she began to climb down, he wheeled closer to her. When she fell to her feet, he wheeled very quickly over to her, to make sure she was all right:: "Strype?"
Posted by Strype on Feb 2, 2007, 4:42pm
She yowled softly, still lying on her side. That hurt. Sitting up shakily, she shook her head, trying to clear the fuzziness from her vision.
Posted by The Man on Feb 3, 2007, 3:41pm
::He knit his eyebrows together in concern. She'd shaken her head; was she all right? He wheeled even closer and extended his hand towards her head:: "Do you need medical attention?"
Posted by Strype on Feb 3, 2007, 4:12pm
She looked at his hand, still feeling lightheaded. Collapsing back onto her side, her form started to shift slowly back into that of her human self. "Ouch," she groaned, rubbing her shoulder before sitting up.
Posted by The Man on Feb 3, 2007, 4:26pm
::She transformed before his very eyes, and then her groan reached his ears. That was probably enough training, at least for the moment:: "Let me get you a medical kit." ::He said softly and then wheeled over to the wall, turning off the holographic emitter::
Posted by Strype on Feb 3, 2007, 4:31pm
The fields and trees disappeared, leaving her sitting on the metal floor. Why couldn't she be more careful? "I'm such a klutz," she whispered.
Posted by The Man on Feb 3, 2007, 4:39pm
::From behind one of the panels, the Professor removed a medical kit and then wheeled back to her. The room's peculiar acoustics had echoed her soft murmur. As he opened the kit, he smiled softly at her:: "You're hardly a klutz, Strype."
Posted by Strype on Feb 3, 2007, 4:44pm
She snorted. "Yeah, right." She pulled back the sleeve of her t-shirt and grimaced. Her shoulder and upper arm were scraped and bloody. "This is what I get, cats aren't meant to be in trees."
Posted by The Man on Feb 3, 2007, 4:54pm
"Cats like to climb," ::He responded calmly. Although he didn't like the looks of the bruises, having tended to many worse ones in this room over the years, he knew that the treatment would simply sting. He handed her a cloth and removed a tube of antibacterial cream.::
Posted by Strype on Feb 3, 2007, 5:08pm
She pressed the cloth he'd given her to her shoulder, trying to clean up the blood. "I think I should stay on the ground for awhile," she joked halfheartedly.
Posted by The Man on Feb 5, 2007, 6:39pm
"Of course. Do you want to call it a day?" ::He uncapped the tube of cream and motioned for her to come closer.:: "Let me see that bruise."
Posted by Strype on Feb 5, 2007, 10:46pm
"Alright," she said, shrugging her shoulders, then wincing as the movement hurt. She slid over to the Professor, getting onto her knees and pulling her shirt sleeve back more and exposing the bruise.
Posted by The Man on Feb 5, 2007, 11:18pm
::It was a nasty bruise, but it would heal well. He squirted some of the cream into his hand and then began to gently rub it onto her bruise. He sent a calming wave through the touch, to help dull the pain.::
Posted by Strype on Feb 6, 2007, 12:09am
She hissed, the cream stinging in the wound. But as he continued to rub it in, the pain lessened. She exhaled deeply. "It feels much better, thank you."
Posted by The Man on Feb 6, 2007, 12:34am
"My pleasure, Strype." ::After he finished rubbing the cream onto her arm, he removed a bandage and began dressing the bruise:: "There, no major harm done."
Posted by Strype on Feb 6, 2007, 12:44am
"Pain is momentary," she said, smiling. "It's sort of a mantra of my father's." She waited until he was done dressing her shoulder, then stood up.
Posted by The Man on Feb 7, 2007, 7:06pm
::He tied off the dressing and then let her stand up.:: "Your father is a wise man."
Posted by Strype on Feb 7, 2007, 11:33pm
"He was," she corrected, frowning. Not that he'd ever done anything for her, she thought. She shook her head, as if trying to get rid of such bitter thoughts. She was in a new place, and should leave all of that behind her. Gently she tugged on a topaz earring.
Posted by The Man on Feb 8, 2007, 12:27am
::Evidently, her relationship with her father had been unpleasant. He would treat her better than that.:: "Would you like to get a popsicle?"
Posted by Strype on Feb 8, 2007, 12:31am
She smiled. "Yes, please." Funny, ages ago it seemed she would have given anything to hear one of her parents ask her that. Like when she was little, scraping her knee and having her parents give her something sweet to cheer her up. Now, she didn't want anything more than to be here.
Posted by The Man on Feb 8, 2007, 12:40am
::He smiled at her softly.:: "Let's go then. We can train again another day."
Posted by Strype on Feb 8, 2007, 12:46am
She returned his smile. "Lead the way," she said, using her unhurt arm in an elaborate gesture.
Posted by The Man on Feb 8, 2007, 1:04am
"I shall." ::He entered the code to unlock the Danger Room and then led her out towards the elevator::
Strype looked around in awe as the elevator opened, never having seen this level of the mansion before. The Professor left the elevator quickly, leaving her to catch up to him. "What place are we going to?" She asked.
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 1:38pm
"The Danger Room. Don't let the name fool you, it's perfectly safe." ::Xavier wheeled off the elevator and led her to the room near the end of the corridor. He entered the code and the metal doors slid open::
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 2:11pm
"Danger room that's safe?" She asked, puzzled. "What exactly can happen in here?" She gasped in awe as she followed the Professor inside. It was a large, empty, metallic room. Could students come in here to let everything go? Or was it a training room?
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 2:14pm
"The possibilities are endless." ::Xavier said over the sound of the doors sliding shut.:: "We'll create a setting to help you feel more comfortable and then we'll work from there."
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 2:24pm
"Create a setting?" She looked around at the blank walls. "You can do that?"
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 2:29pm
::He nodded his head once:: "That's what this room was designed for."
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 2:37pm
As the Professor moved forward, she hung back, head tilted back and looking at the ceiling, then around the room. "You mean, you can make any kind of setting, from a city block to a forest?" She didn't believe him.
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 2:39pm
::He nodded again. He understood why she didn't believe; this technology was certainly not mentioned in the school brochure.:: "Would you like to give it a try?"
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 2:48pm
"How?" She asked, perplexed. She shot him a look of confusion before returning her gaze to the walls of the room.
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 2:54pm
"The danger room uses holographic simulations to create settings. What's your pleasure?"
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 3:21pm
She thought for a moment. "A park, one with lots of trees. Those were my favorite places to stay because no one bothered me if I was in a tree, unlike the streets."
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 3:27pm
::He nodded, understanding the sentiment behind it. He wheeled over to the control panel of the Danger Room and began entering a few commands. After a moment, the black walls of the Danger Room faded, replaced with what seemed like miles and miles of green grass and large trees, open sky and brisk air. It was Strawberry Fields.::
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 3:35pm
She gasped in awe. "Oh, my..." The air was so fresh and clean, and the grass felt so real underneath her feet. "This is amazing!" She jumped in the air once, whooping, before collapsing on her back in the grass, enjoying the sweet smell of it.
Sitting up, she put her hands on her knees. "I've never seen anything so cool," she admitted, the awe unmistakable in her voice.
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 3:59pm
::He smiled at her. Amazing was certainly a word for it. It had taken decades to put this technology together. He remembered fondly the original danger room, with its traps. How the students had thought it was amazing back then. And yet it was nothing compared to the complexity of this modern marvel.:: "It's a very valuable learning tool."
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 4:33pm
"I bet." She couldn't fathom how long it must have taken to build something this complex. She'd never even heard of simulations that could appear this real to all of the senses, not just sight. "So, how will we get started?"
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 4:36pm
"That depends on both your comfort level and your abilities. We haven't explicitely discussed this, but I'm under the assumption that you have both direct and indirect control of your transformation. If that's so, unless you're not comfortable right now, I'd like you to transform."
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 4:41pm
"Yes, you're right," she said. She could bring on the change whenever she wanted, but sometimes it brought itself on whenever she was distressed. "I can't promise I'll be able to fully comply with anything once I'm changed," she stressed. She didn't want him to get mad with her if she didn't follow a request while in her other form.
Posted by The Man on Jan 26, 2007, 5:26pm
::He nods his head; he had expected that much. Furthermore, that was the point of the exercise, to see what control she had, and to teach her to gain control over her form:: "Don't worry about that. I'm capable of protecting myself, and everything beyond that is a learning experience."
Posted by Strype on Jan 26, 2007, 5:54pm
Reassured, she kicked off her only other pair of shoes. "Don't want anything to happen to those," she said, setting them aside. Hunching over, she willed the change to come. It was surprisingly easy, but then again, she should've realized that. If it came so easily just because she was upset, it should've been nothing to bring on the change by force. Her features blurred, as her clothes sank into her skin and fur began to cover her naked body. She blushed, remembering that she did indeed become naked for an instant before the fur and stripes took over, but her blush disappeared under the orange and white fur.
Her jaw and snout lengthened as her hind legs became shorter. A tail burst through, bone at first, but quickly overtaken by sinew and flesh and fur. Large furred ears poked through her hair, which disappeared entirely after a moment. It had taken only a moment, but a large tiger sat in place of where she once was, topaz earrings glittering.
Posted by The Man on Jan 27, 2007, 12:14pm
::He watched her transformation carefully, memorizing every detail for further training. When she had fully transformed, he couldn't help but wonder why the earrings were spared the transformation. Perhaps the same reason as her shoes. He'd be sure to ask her later. He met her eyes, not sure if she would recognize him, now that she had become the tiger:: "Strype?"
Posted by Strype on Jan 27, 2007, 12:43pm
Staring at the man she vaguely recognized, she wondered where she was. Looking around her, she smelled trees and grass, but also what seemed as a tangy aftertaste, of what she realized was metal. Her gleaming yellow eyes met with his and she stood when he called to her. What was she supposed to do?
Posted by The Man on Jan 27, 2007, 12:46pm
::He simply wanted to see how much control her human mind possessed over her tiger form. Not afraid of an attack, he wheeled closer to her:: "Nod if you can understand me, please."
Posted by Strype on Jan 27, 2007, 1:50pm
She became nervous as he came over to her, a low growl rising in the back of her throat. What was he saying? She concentrated, trying to understand the words that were coming out. It was no use. She couldn't make out what he was trying to tell her, and she became slightly dizzy from concentrating so hard. Her vision clouded over for an instant, and she laid down on the ground, bringing her head to look up at him.
Posted by The Man on Jan 27, 2007, 7:27pm
::He tilted his head to the side, studying her behavior. Evidently, it would be much more difficult to break through to her than he had first thought. She couldn't understand him. But there was at least one bright side: she didn't think he was a threat. That was as good a starting place as any. He gazed down at her, simply meeting her eyes.::
Posted by Strype on Jan 27, 2007, 10:38pm
She tilted her furry head to one side, imitating him. What was she supposed to do that was so important? It hurt too hard to remember, so she gave up, washing her paw with her large pink tongue.
Posted by The Man on Jan 28, 2007, 12:08pm
::In some ways, he was relieved. At least they had discovered that her tiger form wasn't always aggressive. That didn't help her gain control of the form however. He closed his eyes and simply reached out with his mind, attempting to see if he could reach her consciousness in this form::
Posted by Strype on Jan 28, 2007, 12:47pm
She felt something brush against her mind gently, as if stroking it, and perked her ears up towards the man. Why was he doing that? Professor...the name swam in front of her. Professor? She remembered he was there to help her. Help her with what?
Posted by The Man on Jan 28, 2007, 12:51pm
::A spark of recognition; he was gratified, in a way. They could at least proceed. His eyes still closed, he concentrated a bit more, giving her a memory, of their conversation, so she would remember why they were in the room::
Posted by Strype on Jan 28, 2007, 12:59pm
Her yellow eyes widened as the memory surged into her. This meadow wasn't real, it was a room. They were there to help her control herself. She stood up and walked closer until she was right in front of him.
Posted by The Man on Jan 28, 2007, 3:41pm
::He opened his eyes and smiled softly. She remembered, now. And that meant that they could try to make some segway on control and understanding.:: "Strype, nod if you can understand me, please."
Posted by Strype on Jan 28, 2007, 3:45pm
His words were not as harsh sounding to her ears, and she found she could understand what he was saying. Before it was like trying to listen to him through a fuzzy radio channel, but now he came in clearer. In a slow motion, she bowed her head.
Posted by The Man on Jan 29, 2007, 10:10pm
::Gratified that she now seemed to understand English, he decided that even if they were unable to make any other accomplishments for the day, it could still be deemed a success. That said, it was necessary to see what the tiger could do. He looked down at his watch, pushing a button on it.:: "Strype, can you run to the end of the forest and back as quickly as possible? I want to time you."
Posted by Strype on Jan 29, 2007, 10:19pm
She understood. It was so simple, why couldn't she understand him before? That seemed easy enough, to run. She gave a loud roar, as if she were a foolish cub, and bounded away from him, pawing at the fake grass and reveling in the feel of it beneath her paws. It was something she felt born to do, as she wove in between tree after tree, not tiring in the least.
Posted by The Man on Jan 29, 2007, 10:22pm
::He divided his attention between her movements and his watch. She was fast; it was very impressive. With control, she had great potential.::
Posted by Strype on Jan 29, 2007, 10:29pm
She practically exploded from the cover of the forest, pounding back to where the Professor sat, collapsing on the ground before him, panting with exhiliration. What now? Blood pumping, she felt like she could do anything right now.
Posted by The Man on Jan 29, 2007, 10:34pm
::As soon as she returned to him, he pressed the button on his watch again. 19 seconds. Incredible. He sensed her exhileration and decided that now was the time to test the rest of her energies:: "Are you up for a jumping exercise?"
Posted by Strype on Jan 29, 2007, 10:38pm
She roared. She liked this kind of training, it was fun. With another roar of pure pleasure, she got to her feet, ready for more. Jumping? She could do that. Unconsciously her claws came unsheathed, digging at the dirt beneath her feet, ready for the next challenge.
Posted by The Man on Jan 29, 2007, 10:47pm
::He entered a command into the control panel for a number of branches to appear, fiftten feet apart, six inches higher than the last, beginning with three feet and ending with fifteen:: "See how many of those you can make, if not all of them."
Posted by Strype on Jan 29, 2007, 11:06pm
She bounded over to face the branches, and sat on her haunches, wiggling her bottom and tail, before jumping up with ease onto the first branch. Getting across them was easy, but became progressively harder. Cautious, she had to concentrate on the higher branches, and increasingly used her claws to secure her place on them.
Posted by The Man on Jan 30, 2007, 3:48pm
::He watched her carefully, very impressed with her abilities. He made careful note that she used her claws more frequently to grasp the higher branches and hoped that the addage was true about cats always landing on their feet.:: "Very good, Strype."
Posted by Strype on Jan 30, 2007, 6:37pm
At the very last branch, her hind paws slipped, not having dug in hard enough. Clinging to the branch, she yowled, unhappy with her sloppiness. Using her front paws to claw forward, she slid her hind ones up until they could dig into the branch, and she could sit on the large branch. She roared loudly, partially angry with herself for her sloppiness, and partially happy she completed it. Now, to just get down.
Ever so slowly and carefully, she started to ease down the branches, one by one. At the fourth from the last branch, she slipped again and smacked her shoulder off the branch below, before falling to her feet and rolling onto her side.
Posted by The Man on Feb 2, 2007, 3:41pm
::He had at first been very impressed, by both her determination and her ability. As she began to climb down, he wheeled closer to her. When she fell to her feet, he wheeled very quickly over to her, to make sure she was all right:: "Strype?"
Posted by Strype on Feb 2, 2007, 4:42pm
She yowled softly, still lying on her side. That hurt. Sitting up shakily, she shook her head, trying to clear the fuzziness from her vision.
Posted by The Man on Feb 3, 2007, 3:41pm
::He knit his eyebrows together in concern. She'd shaken her head; was she all right? He wheeled even closer and extended his hand towards her head:: "Do you need medical attention?"
Posted by Strype on Feb 3, 2007, 4:12pm
She looked at his hand, still feeling lightheaded. Collapsing back onto her side, her form started to shift slowly back into that of her human self. "Ouch," she groaned, rubbing her shoulder before sitting up.
Posted by The Man on Feb 3, 2007, 4:26pm
::She transformed before his very eyes, and then her groan reached his ears. That was probably enough training, at least for the moment:: "Let me get you a medical kit." ::He said softly and then wheeled over to the wall, turning off the holographic emitter::
Posted by Strype on Feb 3, 2007, 4:31pm
The fields and trees disappeared, leaving her sitting on the metal floor. Why couldn't she be more careful? "I'm such a klutz," she whispered.
Posted by The Man on Feb 3, 2007, 4:39pm
::From behind one of the panels, the Professor removed a medical kit and then wheeled back to her. The room's peculiar acoustics had echoed her soft murmur. As he opened the kit, he smiled softly at her:: "You're hardly a klutz, Strype."
Posted by Strype on Feb 3, 2007, 4:44pm
She snorted. "Yeah, right." She pulled back the sleeve of her t-shirt and grimaced. Her shoulder and upper arm were scraped and bloody. "This is what I get, cats aren't meant to be in trees."
Posted by The Man on Feb 3, 2007, 4:54pm
"Cats like to climb," ::He responded calmly. Although he didn't like the looks of the bruises, having tended to many worse ones in this room over the years, he knew that the treatment would simply sting. He handed her a cloth and removed a tube of antibacterial cream.::
Posted by Strype on Feb 3, 2007, 5:08pm
She pressed the cloth he'd given her to her shoulder, trying to clean up the blood. "I think I should stay on the ground for awhile," she joked halfheartedly.
Posted by The Man on Feb 5, 2007, 6:39pm
"Of course. Do you want to call it a day?" ::He uncapped the tube of cream and motioned for her to come closer.:: "Let me see that bruise."
Posted by Strype on Feb 5, 2007, 10:46pm
"Alright," she said, shrugging her shoulders, then wincing as the movement hurt. She slid over to the Professor, getting onto her knees and pulling her shirt sleeve back more and exposing the bruise.
Posted by The Man on Feb 5, 2007, 11:18pm
::It was a nasty bruise, but it would heal well. He squirted some of the cream into his hand and then began to gently rub it onto her bruise. He sent a calming wave through the touch, to help dull the pain.::
Posted by Strype on Feb 6, 2007, 12:09am
She hissed, the cream stinging in the wound. But as he continued to rub it in, the pain lessened. She exhaled deeply. "It feels much better, thank you."
Posted by The Man on Feb 6, 2007, 12:34am
"My pleasure, Strype." ::After he finished rubbing the cream onto her arm, he removed a bandage and began dressing the bruise:: "There, no major harm done."
Posted by Strype on Feb 6, 2007, 12:44am
"Pain is momentary," she said, smiling. "It's sort of a mantra of my father's." She waited until he was done dressing her shoulder, then stood up.
Posted by The Man on Feb 7, 2007, 7:06pm
::He tied off the dressing and then let her stand up.:: "Your father is a wise man."
Posted by Strype on Feb 7, 2007, 11:33pm
"He was," she corrected, frowning. Not that he'd ever done anything for her, she thought. She shook her head, as if trying to get rid of such bitter thoughts. She was in a new place, and should leave all of that behind her. Gently she tugged on a topaz earring.
Posted by The Man on Feb 8, 2007, 12:27am
::Evidently, her relationship with her father had been unpleasant. He would treat her better than that.:: "Would you like to get a popsicle?"
Posted by Strype on Feb 8, 2007, 12:31am
She smiled. "Yes, please." Funny, ages ago it seemed she would have given anything to hear one of her parents ask her that. Like when she was little, scraping her knee and having her parents give her something sweet to cheer her up. Now, she didn't want anything more than to be here.
Posted by The Man on Feb 8, 2007, 12:40am
::He smiled at her softly.:: "Let's go then. We can train again another day."
Posted by Strype on Feb 8, 2007, 12:46am
She returned his smile. "Lead the way," she said, using her unhurt arm in an elaborate gesture.
Posted by The Man on Feb 8, 2007, 1:04am
"I shall." ::He entered the code to unlock the Danger Room and then led her out towards the elevator::