malachai: (Default)
Nick Gautier ([personal profile] malachai) wrote in [community profile] all_inclusive2013-10-18 01:38 pm

(no subject)

After nearly two years of living human on a desert island that was disconnected from reality as it was possible to be and still sustain life, Nick had learned the meaning of "roll with it" pretty well.

Hell, his whole fucking life had been an exercise in rolling with it.

Coming to terms with doors to nowhere sitting right next to doors to horror movies didn't even raise an eyebrow. It just was and that was that.

Finding the martial arts studio for his sparring match with Thor had been perfect. So perfect he'd expected it to disappear when they went back through it, both of them limping and aching a little but grinning from exertion that had actually challenged them both.

Then he'd found it again the next night. When it had still been there three nights later, he decided to start making use of it as long as it was here. Two years of nothing but a heavy bag were fine, but he'd let his form get rusty. Something the fight with Thor had proven in spades.

He was there again tonight after leaving a note on his personal training sign in the gym indicating where he could be found if anyone was looking for him. He left the door propped open and took a spot on the center of the mats, loose cotton drawstring pants and t-shirt moved like there was a light breeze in the room as he moved through forms.

OOC: Find Nick in a martial arts studio that probably has some cosmetic damage from a god and a demon in hand-to-hand combat. The door is off one of the main hallways and propped open. If you frequent the gym, you've seen his sign advertising personal training.
legendthatwas: Freema walking through the desert, left hand held up (hold that thought)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-19 09:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Martha had, in the process of opening doors, gone home and come back. This time, she'd been here long enough that she needed to stop sitting around and start getting back in shape. (At least she'd left the stuff here she'd brought the last time. It was going to be that kind of place, she could feel it--changing and yet unchanging.)

The gym kit she was able to buy in her price range was bright pink, not to her taste or particularly flattering on her skin tone, but she headed for the gym anyway. Not much point in caring about how she looked if she was going to get sweat all over whatever she was wearing. She'd learned to wear what was practical, looks be damned, in that year.

Of course, that was the image of herself she still had in the back of her head. A soldier, toned by necessity, lean in lean times. Probably not healthy--

And she wouldn't have cared too much had there not been someone in the training studio. Damn. She poked her nose in, brow furrowing. "Sorry, didn't know someone would be here. I can come back later..." She could just go to the gym instead. Running was always a good skill.
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-19 10:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Martha nodded a little, slightly confused, but the wink was always welcome, and she grinned just a hair. "Just thought I'd check. Some people prefer to be on their own, in this sort of place," and she was gesturing and slightly flustered, goddamn it.
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-19 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Martha cleared her throat, thought she would be doing a hell of a lot better here if she wasn't in hot pink Lycra, and shifted her towel over her shoulder, cheeks heating. "I'm good with that, thanks," she said, and headed into the studio.

First, though--she walked over to the man, extended her hand. "I'm Martha, by the way. And you're not allowed to laugh at my form."
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-20 07:18 pm (UTC)(link)
"Likewise, Nick," said Martha, and she meant it. She grinned a little more, perhaps a bit cheekier herself. "And if you're in here, you probably know more than I do. I don't really have a...style, exactly."

She'd meant to learn more formally than the Special Forces bits and pieces she'd picked up that year; when she was in Brazil she'd seen capoeira, and in London you could take a class in basically anything. But shift work sort of messed with any good intentions, and she'd been...maybe a little withdrawn since things with Tom.
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-20 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Martha smirked a bit and found she was toying with her hair just a little. Oh, smooth, Jones, really smooth, acting like a fresher or something. "I think I'd have to agree with his take on it," she said with a nod. "Though I was sort of started out on things that wanted to kill me and went from there, which is why I never got much of the style in the first place."

She cocked her head and lifted an eyebrow at Nick. "But I think you sort of get what I mean, at least. Doing it right versus getting it done."
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-20 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Martha was, to be honest, hoping like hell that what hadn't worked in the past wouldn't ever need to work again. But considering what had happened with this hotel, with other adventures with the Doctor, with Jack and the Cardiff team...maybe hedging her bets was a good plan.

"Thanks," she said, setting her towel and bag down, brow furrowing a little in thought. "Though I'd have to ask you to go relatively easy on me." He was a big guy, after all, and she was a little out of practice. "What are your rates?"
legendthatwas: Martha looking down with a soft smile (inner smile)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-21 09:54 pm (UTC)(link)
"I've got a little money--it's more like I need to figure out how to bring it through when I keep ending up in this place by chance," said Martha. "Multidimensional cashpoints are few and far between."

Despite herself, she was a little charmed by the teasing, and she continued, "I'm pretty sure we can work something out," with a steady smirk, as she came over to meet him.
legendthatwas: Freema walking through the desert, left hand held up (hold that thought)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-22 07:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Martha considered Nick for a moment as he set up the scenario, working it out in her head before she came up with something that could play out for her as well. She grinned wryly at the come hither gesture.

"You had to do come at me, bro?" she asked, but it was only just a little bit of play; the dog tags only reminded her of the TARDIS key she'd worn, and she was able to talk herself into the imaginary situation fairly quickly.

She strode forward, definite in her movements but leaning towards defensive, circling Nick for a moment before she went in, low. The fighting she could do was mostly instinct, tooth and nail.
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-22 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Keeping her eyes on his face, Martha's brow furrowed a little. Despite herself, and trying to be calm, she found herself irritated by the taunt, and she grit her teeth.

Pouncing, she swept in, going high this time to catch Nick under the jaw and knock him backwards. She clasped the chain of the dogtags in her hand as she shoved him off balance by a knee to the solar plexus and took him down onto the mat for just a second. It was long enough to wrench the tags free and roll off to one side, though she was certain it wouldn't have kept him down for much longer.

((no worries!))
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-22 08:52 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, well," Martha said, and offered Nick a hand to get to his feet, catching up the dogtags in the other and proffering them as well, "I might have played most of my cards with that one. My main skill is buying enough time to run like hell, so..."

He looked like his jaw was fine, though, so she didn't go after him with a million doctor questions about whether any teeth felt loose, or if his jaw socket was a bit off. It was tempting, but she figured Nick knew well enough how to judge where he was after a fight.
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-23 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"So I'm led to understand, but I'll keep that in mind," said Martha, and while it was a light comment, it wasn't without a serious tinge to it, particularly considering how Nick's expression shifted a little as he spoke. She cleared her throat then and closed her fingers around the chain, clasping it tightly.

"Sure, let's go," she said, and offered a gentler smile.
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-24 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Martha was weaker on her left--always had been, couldn't really get past it when she was learning on the job--but she managed to keep Nick off for a minute or two, maybe a few more. Eventually, though, and maybe he was upping the ante as they went (she wasn't entirely sure), she found herself struggling to match him.

And then down she went.

"See, I would have tried to talk my way out or booked it out the door a while back," she said, looking upwards at the man. "And I'm out of practice."
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-24 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"Exactly," said Martha, but Nick's breathing didn't escape her, particularly as they were fairly close to each other. She took his hand to haul herself to her feet, then asked, "Are you okay? You sound a little winded."
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-25 09:34 pm (UTC)(link)
"Weird?" echoed Martha, looking Nick over and trying to figure out what had happened. Panic attack, perhaps, or PTSD, she'd decided, until he asked the question.

Which was, frankly, the first weird part.

"No, but are you sure you're all right? I'm a doctor, if you need any help."
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-25 10:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Martha lifted an eyebrow, appraised Nick a bit further this time. "Not that I noticed," she said, then quite matter-of-factly went on to add, "Are you a shapeshifter then?" Werewolf, perhaps.
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-28 08:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Martha, to her credit, didn't flip out entirely. Instead, she looked Nick over, carefully, from head to toe, considering. "Half demon, that's new," she noted, and shrugged one shoulder. "I'd totally ask you for more about that, but it'd be terribly rude. I just haven't run into many demons. Aliens, sure, but not demons."

Nick likely got the sense that this, to Martha, was an entirely plausible occurrence.

"What kind of circumstances? If you don't mind my asking. Fights, I suppose?"
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-29 09:04 pm (UTC)(link)
"That's got to be a bit inconvenient." Though Martha supposed that was perhaps part of why Nick had learned martial arts. Discipline, perhaps. "So not the fight, then."

Her cheeks heated when she figured out what he was obliquely referring to, in a professional way, at least.
legendthatwas: brightly coloured Martha Jones icon (text: hello martha) (Default)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-29 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Martha cleared her throat, put on her Professional Doctor Expression, and nodded. "Right, more than awkward," she said. "Well...everything was okay, so no need to worry this go, at least. Should I call it quits for the day?"

She didn't really want to, she liked Nick. But she didn't want to cause too much of a problem.
legendthatwas: Martha looking down with a soft smile (inner smile)

[personal profile] legendthatwas 2013-10-30 10:10 pm (UTC)(link)
The idea that she would was slightly surprising to Martha, and she probably showed as much. "I don't have a problem with you, Nick," she said. "You've been honest about it and upfront, and I did tell you I'm used to the running for my life thing...so I'd like to carry on too."

She smiled, even if her cheeks still felt a little warm.