royal_musings | [Open Post] Where the Streets Have No Name

Les' appointment had gone as well as she had expected it to. Thankfully, no fight broke out and she was able to purchase the grimoire without anything literally or metaphorically blowing up in her face. She'd purchased it from a witch who was much older than many Les came into contact with who was "over it".

Whatever that meant.

There was a ton that Les would be over at this point in her life but she still had a long way to go before she got to that point. Or felt like she could stay at that point. After leaving the witch, she returned to her hotel room and thought about going out for a patrol around the area. Instead, she settled in and started combing through the grimoire for anything that could be useful. That was after she made sure nothing was lingering to it such as tracking charms or hidden hexes.

The next morning, Les arrived at their meeting place wearing a more casual outfit than she had worn the day before. Something that would allow her to move easily.

"Morning," she said and studied the other girl for a moment. She looked decidedly not well-rested. "Everything okay? You don't look like you slept much."

Piper was in clothes that looked appropriate for a yoga session: leggings and fitted tank top. Most days, she’d be proud of how these purple stretch pants made her butt look. Today, she was preoccupied with more important matters.

“No, I really didn’t. I um- On the way home... I think something was going to attack me. Actually, I know it was.”

A shiver visibly rocked her; she wrapped her bare arms around herself even in this summer heat.

“It was some terrible monster. It followed me home from the park. If I hadn’t used my gift to look ahead and see...” she couldn’t bring herself to say what it was she saw.

“I called a cab to take me the rest of the way. But, that thing is still out there. I need your lessons more than I ever realized.”

As soon as she asked it, Les got the feeling she knew the answer to her own question. It wouldn't surprise her if Piper had said something to the effect of just finding out about the supernatural kept her awake. But to find that she'd nearly gotten attacked, Les blinked and moved over to her. "Crap, Piper - are you okay?"

It was a shit question, she realized that because clearly Piper wasn't okay but it seemed the thing to ask.

"I know it's likely not something you want to think back on but can you describe what it looked like?" Even if it may not do Piper any good currently, it would help Les. She could go out looking for it tonight and deal with it. "Even if it doesn't mean much to you right now, in the future you will start to distinguish one being from another and what you can do to kill it."

Piper let out an anxious laugh at that question. No, obviously she was not okay. Really not fucking okay. Yesterday her biggest worry was running out of her favorite lipstick color. Now.

"It was dark... but it was like this really pale man except he had awful teeth and cold dead eyes. And he was so strong he could lift me off the ground with just one hand." Even recounting that much had her breath coming in panicked gasps.

"How the fuck am I supposed to be able to defend myself against something like that? The thing moved like it was made of shadows."

Les nodded and thought that could be just about any dark creature that roamed the night. "Sounds like some vampires I've come across and well, other... nasty creatures that unfortunately are part of our world," she said and reached out to rest her hand on Piper's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "Hey, it's going to be okay, alright? I know it's a lot you're dealing with, especially within 24 hours but we will work on that. It will take time though."

"So, first, your gift will come in handy. You'll find that it's not only good for things like finding out who took your last lipstick," she started, sending the girl a teasing smile before she continued. "But, it's especially good for situations like this. If you are aware of who or what it is that's lurking in the shadows like that, then you can be one step ahead of them and you can be prepared for them. Or be prepared to run. There is nothing wrong with running."

Les paused and picked up her water bottle, taking a drink from it. "What are your strengths? When you were younger, did you take any classes like gymnastics, play sports... anything like that?"

When asked because when she was younger, she had taken a few gymnastics classes as a kid and it was those skills that she built on when her vampire friends started to train her and her friend. Everyone started somewhere.

Piper subconsciously leaned into that squeeze; the physical comfort was powerful for her in her current mental state.

"Okay. Yeah." She swallowed hard and steeled herself. Would it really be okay? Fuck if she knew right now but she wanted to believe.

That crack about the lipstick almost made her smile. Her lips twitched with a weak expression of mirth.

"I took ballet for a while at the community center. And I did track and field in school. I can run long distance and I can sprint. I still run every day." Because her power required her to cover long distances on foot, she'd kept up with that athleticism. Morning runs were a staple of her routine.

"I'm in pretty good shape, cardio-wise." Strength, not so much.

"I won't lie to you, this world we live in kind of sucks on multiple levels," Les admitted, looking at her. "But, I guess the powers sort of makeup for it? A little bit," she said with a little smile, holding two fingers up with a little space between them. Sure, there was a lot more to it and maybe one day, she'll wonder if it was all worth it but that day was not today.

When Piper described her routine, Les nodded. "That's excellent, the cardio will help in the long run. Do you run up steps often? I ask because I know money doesn't grow on trees and gym memberships are annoyingly expensive. Luckily, there are things you can do to build strength that doesn't require you to go into a gym. That's where we'll start this morning and as we go, I will explain some of the more common creatures that you will come up against and the best way to fight them. Sound good?"

She wasn't expected to be anywhere until early next week so she could afford to extend her stay for a little longer. If only to make sure Piper had enough knowledge under her belt to have a fighting chance.

"Powers kind of make this shit worth dealing with," Piper said, of her own life. Without her Time Walking, what would she be? Just some nobody with nothing going on.

"Hm," she tapped her chin thoughtfully, "I run uphill, but haven't really done steps. Now that you mention it, the library has some I could go up and down." To her credit, Piper was putting all her attention into this. Her life depended on it.

"Sometimes I use cans of soup as weights, too. They are pretty close to, like, a one-pound dumbbell." She uses gallons of milk like kettlebells sometimes too, to work her arms.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Damn, I should have brought a notebook to write this stuff down. I guess I can always come back to review it again later." Thanks, Time Walking.

"You're not wrong," Les agreed with a little smile. At the end of the day, if she was truly confronted with the choice, she'd take having powers and dealing with this shit any day of the week. She wasn't sure if 'normal' ever was a choice for her life.

She was glad that Piper was taking this seriously. She'd be lying if she said she'd doubted it but she was sure it had to do with last night. Experiences like that would do it to you. "It wasn't my favorite thing but it can help. Using cans of soup and gallon jugs to add weight was the next thing I was going to suggest."

For the next hour to an hour and a half, Les put through Piper through strength exercises and cardio to get their blood pumping. Through it all, she started to explain some of the most common creatures she'd likely come across and the best methods to fight them. "At the end of the day, push come to shove, if they're coming after you, use everything you have to your advantage because you can believe they will," Les said as they took a moment to rest, walking over to her bag and pulling out two bottles of water and tossing one to Piper.

Next, or once Piper was ready, they'd move onto some basic self-defense.

Piper couldn't remember the last time she'd sweated so much. Jogging had gotten too easy for her, but this was kicking her ass. In a good way.

Through most of the lesson, she stayed quiet and just listened. Mostly because talking would reveal just how out of breath she was. But, she was also paying absolute attention to everything said, trying her best to fix it in her mind. She had no illusions now that this information could save her life.

"I'm getting the sense," she said after a long drink from the water bottle Les tossed her, "that there's no such thing as fighting honorably with these monsters. Is that true?"

Les considered the question for a minute. "I would say that, for the most part, your instincts are correct. If they are set on coming after you, like that monster from last night, there is no such thing as an honorable fight. That isn't to say that you may not come across someone or something that isn't so single-focused because you might."

She took a long swallow from her own water bottle and gave Piper a little smile. "I suppose you could look at it the same as your interactions with any human in general. Trust those gut instincts, they won't lead you astray. Personally, I wasn't always the greatest at it until recent years but it has helped."

"It may seem cliched but it also helped me to keep a record of everything my cousin and I came across. That way we could keep everything straight."

"So... are you saying some of them can be reasoned with?" If she can talk her way out of a fight, that's useful to know. While she's not always been the best judge of character (usually when it comes to boyfriends) when danger is near her gut usually doesn't lead her astray. Last night is good proof of that.

"What? Like a monster diary? Do you have it with you?"

"Some of them can be reasoned with and what would be in it for them," Les said with a nod. "There will be the rare few that you come across who are too old to deal with the drama and don't want to be bothered. Honestly, they're the best to come across."

Her lips quirked up. "Yeah, like a monster diary. I have it back at my hotel so perhaps tomorrow I can share more details about them then?"

At this point in her life, if she could help another person facing the same things she did on a frequent basis, then it was worth it.

"Too old for drama? That must be pretty old." She almost wants to laugh. She can't imagine it, but then again, she's always been a drama queen. The question of what she could offer any of the ones who will barter gets her thinking, though. Would the usual things like sex or her blood, she guesses, work for a trade? Probably better if she never has to find out.

"I think I'd really like that." She chews her bottom lip unconsciously. The thing is, she's not used to people staying around. Promises to meet tomorrow feel so sketchy when she hardly believes anyone really wants to give her a second pass. She thought she was okay with that but now she's actually excited by the idea of having someone else to talk about the weird things with. Someone who isn't going to look at her like a freak because of what she can do.

"You really mean that?"

"It was as much a surprise for me," Les admitted with a laugh. "But it's handy when you need information that they may or may not have and you find a way to make a trade."

She watched Piper's reaction and allowed herself a little smile. In recent days but for different reasons, she was just as untrusting with people and what they had to say and so she could recognize the uncertainty for what it was.

"Yeah, I mean that. With whatever or whoever may come through this place, you need all of the information you can use. You shouldn't have to learn the hard way as we did." Les paused, consideringly before continuing. "You could come to my hotel or... I can meet you back here or wherever you feel safe to discuss it?" She felt as safe as anywhere in her room with wards protecting it.

[Open Post] Where the Streets Have No Name

no problem at all! sorry for the delay on this end too. :)

<3

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