Cheetah
Villains 
This sort of thing doesn't happen to Barbara Minerva. I don't let it.
Posts: 129 
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Post by Cheetah on Apr 2, 2017 19:07:04 GMT -5
"More than a little wise," she nodded in agreement. The last thing Barbara wanted was to start another Holocaust, especially know what Mystique told her. And what had been told probably wasn’t the entire truth. “Last night was… once my head hit the pillow, I was sound asleep. I didn’t even hear…” Barbara stopped mid-sentence. It wasn’t polite to talk about bedroom activities, especially with the children of those you have activities with. Still, Laura had been the one to say Barbara and Artie were together. “I didn’t wake up until the morning.” She decided that was the best way to put it.
The strike that she landed was done so purely on instinct, and Barbara was briefly surprised by that. She had honestly thought Laura would have avoided such a blow, after all, she was the trained fighter. Her eyes widened in shock upon seeing the blood blossom outwards before things quickly connected in her head. She had watched all of Laura. Every movement, every twitch and shifting of weight as they circled one another. She had been aware of both where she was and where she wasn’t, with her predatory brain filling in the rest of the puzzle pieces. She had seen predators on the savanna seemingly predict where their prey would go and react accordingly. Could this be something similar?
Laura was taken off guard, she could see that well enough in the girl’s face. That expression, coupled with the blood and her slight retreat triggered a rush in Barbara’s brain. For an instant, the predator in her thought she was winning, that this young woman wasn’t as tough as she seemed. Of course, the intellectual portion of her thoughts knew better to think that, and she was proven to be correct not too long after, when Laura’s hands closed around her own. She briefly panicked, trying to pull away from Laura or even dig her claws further into her palms, thinking that the pain would cause her to let go. Unfortunately, she was terribly mistaken, and that happy look on the child’s face changed her from prey to a predator on equal footing.
“You were being serious when you didn’t want things held back, weren't you?” Barbara asked. She was answered by the punch her stomach, causing her snarl and snap her teeth at the girl. Fine, the rules of the sparring had officially been established just then, and Barbara would retaliate in full. While still doubled over from the gut punch, she fought back with a hard uppercut with her own free hand before jumping onto the girl, hoping to knock her off-balance and down onto the sand. She was strong, but Barbara guessed that she couldn’t handle the weight of a full-grown woman atop her upper body. Once Laura was on her back in the sand, Barbara pinned her, sitting crouched on her hips, her one hand still stuck in Laura’s, while her other one dug into the girl’s forearm. “Now, now, Laura. I thought you were better than this,” she teased. “Animals don’t fight like people. Remember that.”
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X-23
Heroes 
There are two types of people. you are weak, or you are me.
Posts: 120
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Post by X-23 on Apr 21, 2017 10:24:01 GMT -5
The problem with this information was not that Barbara technically hadn't answered the question or confirmed/denied a relationship between her and Laura's father. Rather it was that Laura was left trying to get a better idea of her capabilities without knowing the full context. Had transforming been what tired Barbara out? was emotional stress? was that just normal and Barbara was a heavy sleeper?
Laura didn't know and doubted she'd get anywhere asking. "Very well." Laura acknowledged, before putting the thoughts out of mind to focus on the fight. And good thing too.
There was a brutal, instinctive satisfaction in the knowledge she'd induced some panic in her opponent, even if it was not a serious fight. It meant she was finding advantages over her, and also more likely to cause Barbara to make mistakes. The extra pain was more then worth it just for the advantage in the psychological level all fights existed on to a significant degree. The pained snarl Laura received for punching Barbara existed on a similar level, all this was about teaching important facts of life.
"The only way to become stronger, is to be put in a situation where whatever you think your limit, simply just is not enough." Was Laura's reply, hoping Barbara understood that point and then given a perfect demonstration when Barbara's fist collided with the underside of her chin. Laura felt her head snap back before she'd even realised what had happened. Her brain telling her to respond to that attack just in time to be shoved to the ground with a humans weight pinning her.
Damned fast this one.
The second she was on the ground, Laura thrashed against the body atop her. Regardless of how fruitless it was to try and throw Barbara off, there was something within Laura that could not accept being restrained. like a wolf with a leg stuck in a trap, Laura did not seem to even care when her arm tore against the claws dug into her forearm. Laura glared up at Barbara, only angered more at the teasing and more determined.
"Animals are far less then humans. Or mutants." Laura growled back before realising Barbara had put her weight on Laura's hips not her legs. with a snarl Laura swung her legs up hoping to catch Barbara in the back of her head. If this had been to the death, Laura would utilise the claws in her feet and possibly kill the Feline woman here and now, but luckily that was unneeded. all she needed was a disruption enough to get one or both of her arms free.
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Cheetah
Villains
This sort of thing doesn't happen to Barbara Minerva. I don't let it.
Posts: 129
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Post by Cheetah on Apr 23, 2017 17:17:42 GMT -5
Normally, Barbara was a light sleeper, but it had been a combination of stress from the day, alcohol in her system, and delicious food in her belly that had made her sleep so heavily and completely. Her body changing had only been a minor factor. But she could see slight disapproval in Laura’s eyes. “I slept so hard because of the culmination of everything yesterday. If you are so concerned from an academical standpoint, the change was a bit tiring at first, though I think it is mainly due to the fact I was emotionally and mentally stressed rather than physically. Naturally, we will have to see if my appetite from last night was a fluke or if I will need to replenish myself like that every time I change back to normal. Have I satisfied your curiosity now?” she asked good-naturedly.
When Laura was thrashing beneath her, that triggered something in Barbara. Had the girl been shrieking or screaming in pain, that would have been enough to send her over an edge that she was not aware of. But Laura’s struggling had opened up the meat of her arm enough so that it bled freely. Barbara’s tongue was already lapping it up before she knew what was happening. It tasted…… Barbara paused once the blood hit her taste buds. Though she didn’t have much to go on in terms of what blood actually tasted like… outside her own, due to the rare cut in her mouth… Laura’s was decidedly different than what she knew. It was incredibly metallic tasting, but not in a bad way. In fact, it was almost electrifying in its flavor. She would have gone in for a longer, second taste if Laura’s boots hadn’t connected with the back of her skull, knocking her over.
Face planting into the sand was the last thing Barbara wanted or was expecting, so, she acted appropriately. Hissing and spitting in both rage and in an attempt to remove the beach sand from her mouth, she flailed and extricated herself from Laura, though not in a clean and careful manner. Claws lashed out and shredded the girl’s arms and pants as the cat woman scrambled to get away, acting purely out of surprise and momentary fear of being trapped again. Once she was a good distance away, Barbara turned and, snarling, she glared at Laura, tail whipping back and forth, fur puffed out, and weight distributed between her four limbs as she was ready to attack at a moment’s notice. Or at least she was, until the sand inside her nose made her sneeze. “That was a damn dirty trick, Laura Cade!” she yelled, more frustrated at herself than anything. Not about to let the girl have the upper hand again, she quickly lunged at her once more, claws out and going full tilt.
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X-23
Heroes
There are two types of people. you are weak, or you are me.
Posts: 120
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Post by X-23 on May 1, 2017 14:15:24 GMT -5
"Quite soundly. Thank you." Laura responded, appreciating the details given to help curb her never ending need to understand everything and find a way to plan for, and around, every bit of important information. Right now they were still at the stages where everything just made her more curious and with more questions. but a step was a step.
It was quite the thing to realise someone was suddenly drinking your blood. And Laura found herself cringing away from it as best she could. It felt like a boundary she had not known she had held, but she did not want to be fed off like this and did not think that an unreasonable request. "OFF ME!" Laura snapped, a little forcefully as she was able to role to her feet, her eyes glinting with a savage glee at having gotten a rise out of Barbara. She let the Cat woman regroup, this was only training after all, at her own pace.
The sneeze was the only thing stopping Barbara's display from having been sucsessfully intimidating. Instead, Laura just smirked at the offence taken at the strike. "You are the one foolish enough to forget my legs were fr-." Laura replied, having to cut herself off as she was lunged at once again. knowing how meeting Barbara head on had gone last time, Laura decided not to be predictable. As the older woman came flying towards her in a startlingly powerful leap, Laura threw herself into a crouched forwards roll, going underneath Barbara and coming up onto one knee once they had passed.
the two women both found themselves crouched with their back to the other, an obvious vulnerability they both made to correct as fast as they could, Barbara using her speed to put a little extra distance between them before turning, Laura swinging out wildly as she turned on the spot, hitting open air and not even threatening Barbara due to the feline not having tried to take advantage of the opening like Laura had expected. "interesting." Laura noted as she rose to her feet.
the two ran at each other again, but this time when they came close Laura planned to try and use her knowledge of Judo to use Barbara's own momentum against her and throw her over Laura's hip when she came within grappling range. whether it was something that would work on Barbara's heightened reaction times was soon to be seen. but she hoped for the best.
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Cheetah
Villains
This sort of thing doesn't happen to Barbara Minerva. I don't let it.
Posts: 129
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Post by Cheetah on May 16, 2017 6:01:35 GMT -5
This training session was clearly evolving into something more. Had both of the participants been anyone else, or even just one of them been different, perhaps circumstances would not have changed. But as it was, both Laura and Barbara had a small bit of savagery that blossomed as the sparring went on. not enough to make things go out of hand, but clearly enough to increase striking speed and tactics.
“Leaving your legs free is the last mistake I’ll make in this fight,” she growled before striking. They both seemed to be learning from each other as well. Forward attacks quickly lost their effectiveness, so Barbara began improvising. Humans tended to fight primarily with their arms, leaving their legs as last resorts unless they were trained. Cheetahs, however, were not so restricted to such techniques. She would dash in and about, alternating high and low attacks with the occasional leg sweep to try and knock the girl off balance. Laura liked to be grounded and in control of the situation, and the girl’s height was both an asset as well as a hinderance. Barbara would use that to her advantage; intentionally leaping over her and, upon landing, deal a mule kick to the girl’s back, further knocking her off guard if possible. It was a fun bit of game, one that probably looked incredibly savage from the point of view of their sole spectator, but the amount of blood shed was minimal to say the least. It was all a dance, and they were quickly becoming evenly matched. Or that’s what Barbara thought.
During one of their charges, Laura took the cat woman by surprise. Rather than leaping aside or ducking, the girl met her full on, grappling her. The world then suddenly twisted and, before she knew it, Barbara was slammed onto her back, the wind knocked out of her. Her body had gone limp the scant few seconds she was airborne, and the sudden impact against the surprisingly hard sand was enough to bring her back to her senses, briefly shattering whatever fighting mindset she had. “That… that actually hurt,” she said, looking up at Laura, palms facing upwards in a sign of surrender. “An object in motion stays in motion,” she chuckled. “I believe that, if we were to continue, I would keep ending up on my back.” Thankfully Barbara was adult enough to admit to a friend when she was defeated. “You are an excellent teacher, Laura. I’ve learned a bit from this experiment. May I ask your opinion on all of this as well?” If the girl had insight to things she had missed, it would help quite a bit.
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Post by Artie Cade on May 30, 2017 17:16:05 GMT -5
Artie had been sitting in rather uncomfortable, quiet horror at this.
Blood, guts, ripping out veins like lengths of twine, these things didn't bother him. But seeing two of the women in his life he had a particular fondness for doing that sort of thing to each other...well that was disconcerting.
He quickly stood to his feet and limped closer to them, waving his cane in the air.
"OKAY!" he shouted, "OKAAAYYY okay okay okay stop! Please! Hang on!"
He stumbled in the sand and fell forward. The sand's unevenness wasn't conducive to requiring a cane, but he stood and dusted himself off and resumed again anyway.
"I don't uh...!" he said before falling again. He waited a moment then looked up at them.
This was embarrassing.
Still, he picked himself up and moved more carefully toward them before he spat out some sand and was at least right up to where they were scuffling.
"I don't think that-" he spat out more sand and coughed, "Christ. Nature. ANYway, I don't think we have to go on do you?"
He was breathing heavily, so much floundering taking its toll on his arguably poorly built frame. He wasn't used to so much exertion.
"That's about enough for today, wouldn't you say...?" he offered to Laura.
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X-23
Heroes
There are two types of people. you are weak, or you are me.
Posts: 120
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Post by X-23 on Jun 8, 2017 14:57:39 GMT -5
Again and again Laura was pleasantly surprised by how capable an untrained woman could be. And it was excellent. Laura felt just how Barbara did, that this was more of a dance then a fight. a chance to actually cut loose, the need to be as fast and strong as you were capable of brought out reserves that could never be reached intentionally. but to keep up with this cheetah woman Laura had to push herself and it had been far too long.
it was both extremely satisfying and mildly disappointing when Laura was able to slam Barbara into the beach. Victory, but an end to the fun. "Pain is an excellent teacher." Laura noted before offering Barbara a hand up. "but I did not mean it to. my apologies." it was interesting that Barbara had concluded that had been the winning move, as Laura would have probably demanded going again and again until she learned to best the technique that defeated her. The spirit of the warrior would be the important thing to install in the woman. "There are counters to what I did. I can teach you how to respond. but another time."
There was an unexpected compliment that made Laura smile. "I. thank you." she'd never really thought about the idea of teaching, and was surprised and pleased at the idea she had done well. "you did far better then I thought you ever could. even after I thought I had your measure." she admitted. Laura was about to give her opinions on what they could do to improve Barbara's skills when they were interrupted by the arrival of her Father.
it seemed the display had genuinely worried him. perhaps he had not seen enough to be convinced there was no danger of permanent damage. maybe he knew the intent wasn't there but worried accidents would occur. regardless, at his repeated requests Laura's stance and body language softened from the coiled spring prepared for violence she'd been the entire time they had trained. To spare his feelings Laura made no mention of his falls and pretended they had not happened.
"This is as good a time to end as any." she agreed with him, before giving Barbara a considered look. "As a suggestion? do not drink the blood of enemies that still have any fight in them. You left yourself open with the distraction, I would have killed you in that moment if we had been fighting for real." that was the most important one, the importance of not getting distracted. but carried under it was the message of Laura telling Barbara not to do that again, as it had been quite unsettling.
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Cheetah
Villains
This sort of thing doesn't happen to Barbara Minerva. I don't let it.
Posts: 129
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Post by Cheetah on Jun 19, 2017 22:11:41 GMT -5
Barbara chuckled at Laura’s admission. “You fought as any intelligent person would. You used an advantage against me.” Being offered a hand up was kind, but she politely declined it. Her palms were filthy, covered in both sand and blood. Looking at them gave Barbara the slight urge to wash herself with her tongue, one she thankfully ignored. It wasn’t one too pressing to act on, so she wasn’t terribly worried. “Counters would be lovely to learn for that maneuver, but how many people would know what you did? It doesn’t seem to be a technique I know. Unless it’s a simple throw. Is it?” Even with all the places she had been, Laura still seemed more worldly and more traveled than Barbara. She also seemed older, making her wonder how a girl like Laura got to be like that.
Naturally, as she regained her feet, Artie took the opportunity to arrive. “We are done for the day, Artie. I promise.” Saying that, she helped him to his feet, brushing off the loose sand with the relatively clean back of her hands. Rather than hold him up in what would likely be a bit of an embarrassment, Barbara returned to a crouched position, offering Artie a should to lean upon. “It was a learning experience, nothing more. I doubt that I would have been able to kill her anyway. It’s just not possible.” She wanted to add that they both watched what had happened yesterday, but thought better of it. “She is a good trainer, your daughter.” Perhaps that little comment would get Artie’s mind off of what had just happened.
However, upon hearing Laura’s suggestion, Barbara’s head dropped out of embarrassment and shame. If her ears had been more cat-like, they would have drooped as well. As it was, her tail simply curled around her body in a protective and comforting manner. “I….. I am sorry. I don’t know what came over me. You were bleeding and struggling, and….” She stopped before saying what was next on her mind. Laura had tasted good. The blood was sweet and clean, refreshing, like a cool drink after a long run. She only briefly glanced up at the girl before looking away, feeling ashamed. It didn’t help that she could hear the jungle noises and the animal smells emanating from the jungle only a few meters away. The sparring and the blood, combined with the nearby jungle and her lack of having eaten a breakfast made her long for a hunt, a feeling she was utterly unfamiliar with. She wanted to prowl, to stalk, and to chase, with it all ending in her sinking her teeth into a neck, hot blood pumping into her mouth as she felt the life leaving her prey.
A shriek from within the green caused her head to snap up, suddenly a bit more alert, before looking away once more, down at her bloody claws. Frustrated, Barbara scooped up sand and began rubbing it against her hands, hoping to scour the blood away. “Yes, yes, I think we are over for the day. La….. Laura, if you would, take…” She paused, shaking her head, trying to keep it clear. “I just realized that I’m…” Again, she stopped, gritting her teeth over how ashamed she was to admit this. “I haven’t eaten this morning, and I’m hungry. I need to…. I’m hungry, Artie. “ Her eyes were pleading as she looked up at him. “I don’t… May I please go in there and hunt? Please? No traps, no surprises, I just… Please?” This amount of politeness and asking for permission was unusual for Barbara, and it was done in an effort to retain control and not dash off into the jungle as a wild animal.
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Post by Artie Cade on Jun 22, 2017 18:09:42 GMT -5
Artie beamed at Laura and tussled her hair as he did on frequent occasion, just another affectionate gesture of his. Barbara was right, after all. Laura could do anything.
"She's the best for the job, that's for sure." he chuckled.
As Barbara dusted him off, Artie assisted and shook his head.
"Oh, come now, I can do it..." he whined in a mock hurt tone, "It's all right."
His mirth was stifled when he noticed Barbara looking off into the island. He looked off at it too then back at her, then over at Laura.
Barbara wanted to...hunt? There was plenty on the island for that, he wanted there to be an ecosystem on it after all, but...well he hadn't fully expected that. Then again, considering that Barbara was a cat person when she wanted to be now, he wasn't really sure what exactly to expect going forward. Or even what not to expect.
"Well, I uh..." he said as he tried to wipe the surprise from his face by relaxing his brows, "...of course, Barbara, yeah you can go on ahead."
He ran a hand through her hair and across one of her soft ears.
"There'll be plenty in there to choose from," he continued, looking back at the island, "I know I've secured boars, some smaller critters...should be enough mammals in there with good meat on em to fix you up if that's what you want."
Artie was used to Barbara being a wine and dine sort of woman, so this was all very peculiar. But these powers she now possessed must come with more animalistic needs. He certainly wasn't one to stifle them.
He took a step out of her way and gestured broadly to the wide expanse of trees.
"After you, my dear," he grinned, "No tricks, no traps, I've already set everything off for the day so...you go have a good hunt, all right?"
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Cheetah
Villains
This sort of thing doesn't happen to Barbara Minerva. I don't let it.
Posts: 129
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Post by Cheetah on Jul 4, 2017 9:07:56 GMT -5
It felt horrible to ask Artie for permission to hunt, but Barbara felt that if she just ran off, both he and Laura would worry and want to follow. The asking also helps her feel justified in her animal instincts and desires. A small part of her was still ashamed of it though. She was a cultured woman, not some damn beast, but here she was crouched on a beach and already thinking ahead on what lay within the jungle. She smelled the aforementioned boars and the multitude of other animals. Nuzzling his highly gently, she looked up at him lovingly, glad that he could understand what she was going through at the moment.
Permission given, with a twitch of her tail, she bounded towards the jungle, slowing her pace enough to slink the last few paces into the green, and was soon gone. Inside, it was very much a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. She was still aware of being Barbara and being on Artie’s island, with where they were staying being not too far away, but in here, she was more in the present than ever before. Moving on all fours was easy, and she breathed in the scents easily, he brain processing and cataloguing them as she prowled through the foliage. She could tell that the animals were confused. She smelled both human and feline, with a third indication on a different, inexplicable level that she was a guardian of this place, but still a danger. So it was that she was watched with a cautious curiosity.
The prowl lasted a good while, long enough that she learned the jungle far better than she had the previous day, and she soon found the trail leading to one of the wild hogs. It was a sow, currently wallowing in the mud near a stream, content and oblivious. The island didn’t have large predators, so why would it feel the need to be wary? She crept towards her prey, muscles tensing and coiling as she neared, preparing for the strike. It was only a moment before her leap that the sow became aware of how the noise of the jungle had changed. The cries of a jungle cat mixing with the squeals of a pig could probably be heard all the way back to the villa.
A few hours later, Barbara emerged from the jungle, walking on two legs, but still in her cat form. she looked satisfied and accomplished as she made her way to the waterline, washing away whatever blood and jungle debris still remained on her. Once clean, she found her robe where she had left it on the villa railing and, donning it, shifted back to human. With a small stretch, she entered the abode and poured herself a glass of chianti before relaxing on the couch. Today had definitely been educative.
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X-23
Heroes
There are two types of people. you are weak, or you are me.
Posts: 120
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Post by X-23 on Jul 10, 2017 16:19:57 GMT -5
In the end it had all gone very well. Laura had genuinely enjoyed the chance to test herself against Barbara, and felt the older woman felt the same way, and hopefully had learned more about herself. sometimes it was best to push yourself to your absolute limits, and sometimes it was wise to take it one step at a time. "once you have the footwork down, I can not imagine you having any difficulty learning it. It is one of the easier Judo techniques to use in live combat." now Laura thought about it, the agile and flexible nature of the Cheetah form probably meant Judo would be a very useful thing for Barbara to learn, after all her claws meant she would have a very strong grip on her opponents.
Laura wasn't sure what to think at the surprisingly strong apology. she'd expected one, but had thought it would simply be a somewhat awkward formality they would move on from quickly. this was Barbara genuinely feeling regret for her actions, something that immediately made Laura forgive her. "It is alright. I am unharmed and fine. you have no need to worry." really Laura kind of felt some pity for her, clearly she had not been in 100% control and was trying to come to terms with that realisation. Laura would never be so insulting as to let that show though, so just let it go.
Father and Barbara talked a while longer, and Laura didn't have any contribution to make for Barbara's plans, simply raising a hand to say goodbye as the woman charged off into the jungle, vanishing into the trees with her usual speed. Once she was gone, Laura turned to her Father. "i left the rest of my coconuts on the beach. I am going to go eat them. do you wish to join me?" She honestly had no idea if he liked the things or not, but expected he would probably want to accompany her either way.
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Post by Artie Cade on Jul 27, 2017 23:30:36 GMT -5
Artie let Barbara shoot off into the trees and bushes of the lush landscape, stumbling backward for a moment when she did. It was not quite something he had gotten used to yet. Still, it wouldn't take long considering his eldest daughter could bend a telephone pole into a knot without breaking a sweat and his youngest had claws that she could retract in and out of her hands at will.
None of it was so very odd after all, he supposed.
When Laura offered him to accompany her back to where she had left the coconuts on the beach, he smirked up at her and nodded.
"I'll go with ya," he said as he stretched and prepared for more treacherous sand walking, "Buuuut I'm not sure I'll partake. Still at least you can watch your old man try to fumble around outside, you know even this isn't my natural habitat."
He chuckled and put one hand on Laura's shoulder and began to walk toward the location she mentioned.
All in all he was glad things hadn't turned out so badly....well, as badly as they might have.
He didn't think Barbara seemed any worse off being better informed about her condition.
Laura was certainly keen to help her develop fighting skills. Lord knows the kid had tried to teach Artie how to do anything but his scrappy boxing, but that didn't take so well. In the condition he was in, Artie was hardly an apt pupil.
But now Laura had one. And Barbara had a teacher.
And it was a better situation for that trading of facts.
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