9278/Lessons Well-Earned

Lessons Well-Earned
Date of Scene:	21 September 2019
Location:	Sparring Room
Synopsis:	Hector joins Janet and Steven at a training ring for the long-awaited lessons he won through auction.
Cast of Characters:	Wasp (van Dyne), Captain America, Zorro

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Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
After a lively bidding session during a Wayne Foundation charity event, one Hector Rodriguez had bid in and won a rather specialized prize: a series of lessons in hand to hand combat with two Avengers. Specifically, Janet van Dyne (aka The Wasp) and Steve Rogers (aka Captain America).

The lesson takes place at a gym in Brooklyn, an old building used for illegal boxing back in the day. The classic ring sits in the middle of a room that's rich with the scent of canvas, wood, leather, and old sweat.

Janet and Steve are there early, standing in the ring and waiting for Hector to arrive. Janet's in calf-length athletic tights in an electric shade of blue with white lightning bolts zig-zagging around mesh gaps. It's paired with blue shoes and a white sports top, leaving an inch of skin exposed around her navel.

"I can't remember the last time I actually did a /lesson/ with someone," Janet admits. She's sitting on her rear, legs out in front of her. With a limber ease she leans forward and grabs her toes, forehead almost brushing her shins. "It's just me and Natasha throwing each other around."

"Well, mostly Nats throwing /me/ around," she amends. "Maybe when I'm her age I'll be half as good as she is."

Captain America has posed:
Janet's always been the better dresser between the two of them. The Captain's in a simple fitted white cotton t-shirt and black running pants with highlights of red and white along the outer seam. He's got his arm angled in front of his chest in a perfect L-shape as he pulls it tighter to him, stretching out his shoulder.

"She throws me around too, nothing to be ashamed about. Might have the serum in me, but counter-balance my weight 'nd I fall just as hard." He switches arms and eyes the entrance to the gym's sparring room. "Figure we'll keep it simple for now. No idea if this guy's got any metahuman aspects to him."

Zorro has posed:
Hector Rodriguez climbed out of his car with a sigh. He had attended the Wayne charity auction and had managed to win combat training lessons with Wasp and Captain America. This was quite a surprise to him, not expecting to win anything. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and black track-pants, the only athletic gear he had. As he approached the gym, he started to slightly grin to hismelf. He was actually looking foroword to being trained by two Avengers, especially Captain America.
    
     Captain America had been a great inspiration for him long before hei became Zorro and meeting him was something he was looking forowrd to. Plus, Hector realized that there were going to be situations where his sword could not be used and needed to learn hand-to-hand in order to handle these situations. Hecotor walked into the gym and grinned broadly when he saw the two Avengers. He then said to them as he walked towards them with his hands stretched out for a handshake," Ahh, you must be Capitan America and Senorita van Dyne. I am Hector Rodriguez. I am quite looking forword to this lesson."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"I was gonna assume he probably can't squat a VW," Janet replies with a dry tone that's moderated by a twinkle in her eyes.

When Hector arrives she elevates smoothly to her feet and smiles welcome at him, slipping out of the ring to greet him properly. "<And you must be Mister Rodriguez,>" she replies, in excellent Spanish. It has a strong Bronx inflection to it, a bit less cultured than one would expect from a school-trained speaker. "<Congrats on winning the prize,>" she remarks.

Janet waits for Steve to shake hands first, then exchanges grips with Hector. Clad in her sport attire, there's some lean muscle to Janet one might not otherwise expect from someone with her slender frame. Clearly her musculature has some athletic purpose beyond merely being cosmetic fitness. "<I'm Janet, and this is Steve, of course. We're ready whenever you are.>"

Captain America has posed:
Upon seeing Hector arrive, Steve puts on his professional smile, patient and attentive. "Mister Rodriguez, afternoon," the Captain greets and returns the handshake with polite pressure. He steps back once Janet begins to speak and smiles to himself. His Spanish is rusty, but he knows enough of it to get what she's communicating to the other man.

"Yep, ready to help you out. I understand you're looking for some tutoring on hand-to-hand combat?" asks the Captain, his palms now rested comfortably on his hips. It puts the broad span of his chest on display.

Zorro has posed:
Hector's grin grows wider as he shakes both Avenger's hands. He then says to them," Si, i wish to learn hand-to-hand. It would feel good to be able to protect myself in case i get cornerd." Upon hearing Janet's instructions, Hector immeidaltey climbed into the ring awkardly, never setting foot in a boxing ring before. He then stands in the ring and does his best attempt in going into a combat stance, mimcking a famous boxer he admired as a child somewhat crudely.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
The Wasp climbs into the ring with ease and moves to the center circle, watching Hector. She holds her hands up, forestalling Hector's combat-ready posture. "Ok. Looks like you've done some boxing," Janet remarks. She's spent more than a little time in the ring herself. "But it's gonna work better if we focus a bit more on... oh, defensive techniques, you'd call 'em," she explains. "Throws, tosses, that kind of thing." She looks to Steve for a followup.

Captain America has posed:
The taller Captain slips beneath the ropes rather than climbing over them and walks over to Janet and Hector, his steps quiet in his athletic sneakers. "Janet's got a point. Can't throw a punch if you can't take one or deflect it to start, or gain the space you need to gather yourself if you've been hit."

He gives the Wasp a considering look. "Figure the easiest way to start out is blocks. Throws next." With a faint smile on his lips, he then throws a lazy punch towards Janet, telegraphing it clearly. It must be an impromptu demonstration on deflecting a thrown fist.

Zorro has posed:
Zorro nods at Wasps and Captain America's advice and immediatley drops his stance and starts to watch their demostration. As Cap throws the first punch, Hector watches intently as he thinks to himself," They make a good point, punching would not be enough if my foes can get a drop on me first. Blocking will be very important, especially when fighting larger foes."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet obligingly stays in Cap's striking range. She's got a solid technique, keeping her elbows high and her hands guarding her head. Rather than some exotic technique she just steps a little forward to rob Steve of his leverage, and lets the blow bounce off her forearms. It'd probably smart if they were going full-force.

"Little motions. Don't do the big stuff," Janet advises Hector. "For smaller people it's all about staying in close. Steve's bigger than I am. I can't out-box him. So I want to think about fighting him much closer, where he's got less leverage." She demonstrates by wading into Steve and throwing a pair of short hooks at his midsection, blows that'd dig into the kidneys if delivered sincerely.

Captain America has posed:
The punch gets deflected and Steve follows through. His body turns at the waist in a far slowed motion to demonstrate just how open his ribs and solar plexus might be if he overreached with Janet now too close for an immediate reaction on his part. The 'oofs' are theatrical, one and two for each impact, and the Captain takes a few steps back.

"See how she went for the vital organs too? The faster you drop 'em, the less likely you are to get hit. A fight that goes on too long doesn't necessarily stack in your favor," he explains.

Zorro has posed:
Hector watches closely as he Janet and Steve do their demostration. He takes a mental note on both Janet's blocking skill and subsequent attack and Cap's word. He will have to remeber all of this stuff for when he goes out as Zorro. Hector then nods and says to them," I think I understand. Do you want me to try now or do you want me to watch a few more times?"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Nothing like practice," Janet advises Zorro, and steps out of the way so he can square up with Steve. "So for now, let's keep it really simple." He's offered some padded gloves to strap into, and she hands striking pads to Steve. "You're gonna deal with some light jabs from Steve. Get a sense for how far he can reach. Just block, step in, and hit the striking pad." She holds it at Steve's abdomen demonstratively, then helps him slip it onto his wrist for support. "See? So a real simple combo. Block, duck, cross. Okay? We'll do this for a bit, then I'll switch with Steve and you can see how it works with someone smaller than you as well."

Captain America has posed:
Now set with the striking pads on his fists, Steve holds poise for Janet to demonstrate the targeting of his torso yet again. He nods in agreement as to her instructions.

"Not everyone's the same height. 's'why you practice with anyone you can if you think you're gonna come up against somebody looking to knock you down." That being said, the Captain starts with a few simple punches, something likely seen in back alleys and in bar brawls, unprofessional, aimed simply to knock down rather than deal concise damage. He telegraphs them clearly and takes the return hits with plomb.

Zorro has posed:
Hector nods intently at Wasp's instructions and puts on the padded gloves and approaches Steve. He then does the pattern Wasp recommended and blocked the moves Steve threw at him and threw some punches back at him, mostly in the areas that were most vulnerable, like the kidneys or gut.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet nods approvingly after Hector finds a rhythm. "Okay. Now, you're gonna try it on me," Janet says. "I'm a lot smaller and lighter than Steve, so I'm harder to hit and you won't be able to dig in as hard. I'll also be trying to stay close to you, so now the game is to keep me as far away as possible and go for the long jabs," she offers. The glovs are swapped out and Janet steps up to Zorro. True to form she stays quite close to him, those big pads obscuring a lot of his vision as she shields her head. A few times she pursues his backstep very aggrssively, forcing him to work hard to buy every extra inch of range he requires.

Captain America has posed:
The punches land firmly in Steve's torso and he tenses at each impact. Once his turn is done, he swaps with the Wasp and takes a step back to critically eye the way Hector has to deal with the shorter, swifter attacks of the woman.

"Not bad," he comments to the other man. "Practice'll make perfect. We'll stick with this particular close-combat routine for today 'nd once you're comfortable, we'll move on to grappling and throws -- maybe some disarming too, to make sure you can strip a weapon before you throw 'em. No point in gaining distance if they can pull a gun on you."

The lessons continues until both Janet and Steve are comfortable with their student's learning. Then, over a water break, the next lesson is planned. Surely only good things will come of it all.