RP: Slip
Character: Cho Chang, Anna (NPC).
Location: Chinese Cultural Center in muggle London.
Date: 17th of February, 2000
Status/Warning: Closed.
Summary: The dance teacher is unpredictable.
Completion: Complete.
"What about self defense?"
Cho looked up abruptly from stretches, ear against thigh; for a moment she stared, and then laughed good-naturedly. "Why self defense, Anna?"
"That can be therapeutic as well. Have you ever considered it?"
"No. Why would I?"
Auror's training had been one thing, but application quite another. She'd been wonderful at spells, researching their history and use -- top marks in the sort of thing the Corps felt less important. They'd liked her for her potential in espionage, gathering information. When it'd come to the physical aspect of fighting, Cho's size had been both a hinderance and an advantage; but unlike others with the same problem, she'd been unwilling to do more than learn the basics. More and more -- further and further from it all -- Cho was seeing more clearly exactly how inappropriate she'd been for the job.
Anna, however, cleared her throat. "Like I said: therapy. Gives you a sense of body, timing. Like dance..."
"I never thought of it that way," Cho admitted, which was true. "But you know... I... I took lessons once, years ago." That wasn't. Decidedly not. "I can't say it ever enlightened me."
"What sort?"
"Oh, just your basic..." Wand removal by force. Chokeholds. "Your basic." And a fat lot of good it did me.
But... No, such things were not appropriate on dancefloors. She'd thought them all out, at any rate, and it wasn't as if it could change what had happened. Weeks ago an idea like that would've been hard to stomach, but now she disguised the tears by yawning exaggeratedly, arms over head.
Now it's long gone. It's over.
Cho rose to her feet, shaking out, and offered Anna a tired grin. Warm-up was her least favorite part of practise, it being that that was when she realised how tense she'd gotten in the days between. Then again ... She wasn't as sore now as usual, not since... Well, not since certain other tensions had been alleviated. (Any more detail and she'd blush.)
"Show me?" Anna suddenly asked, shrugging. "Why not? Interesting way to start a lesson."
"This is dance class," said Cho, rather flatly. "Besides... I hardly remember anything." Half a lie.
"C'mon, it'll be fun. Then we can get back to where we left off Saturday." A good-natured wink. "How was your Valentine's?"
"It was nice."
"Got a boyfriend?"
"Yeah." Cho nodded, putting her hair up. "Anyway."
"That's nice. Think your father may have mentioned a thing or two." Anna waited for a moment, gauging her pupil's reaction, and then laughed. She gestured as if to beckon the girl forward. "Come on, what, are you frightened?"
"I don't appreciate this."
"Why?"
"I just... I would really rather dance. That's why I came here."
They regarded eachother quietly for a moment, and Anna snorted. "You won't hurt me. You're a little twig! And what do you think I can do, anyway? Old lady like me?"
Cho arched an eyebrow. "Firstly, you're not old. Secondly, I'm not worried about hurting you."
I'm worried about you hurting me.
"Then we'll just spar a little. What's the harm?"
"Are you honestly asking me what the harm would be in--"
But Anna rushed her.
She rushed her, and Cho's only reaction was to start, throwing herself backward, and cry out helplessly. It was a controlled environment, but the sudden movement -- promise of attack, in one form or another -- brought back a sudden chain of reflex and memory she hadn't been able to recall, had been happy with suppressing. Tight scores of action, Fenrir's playbook -- and yes, that was the harm! There. That was exactly it. Cho flung herself away, shielding her eyes -- covering them -- but the ensuing scream did not stop the teacher.
In the second before impact, or -- or wherever Anna's trajectory would have taken her -- an inch from the boniness of either shoulder, something odd happened.
A little unexpected.
Perhaps as miraculous as Valentine's.
A second left and Cho's eyes lifted, hardened; her hands balled into fists quite suddenly, and before their bodies met she spun out, darting to the left, quickly enough to disorient Anna in her charge. (Cos above all else she'd always been fast, they'd given her that much in training.) A quick slip of the arm, an elbow to the ribs and it was over.
She'd captured Anna, and if this were training her wand would be at her throat. Probably. Something of that nature, anyway, and this wouldn't have happened often -- Cho wasn't quite tall enough for the maneuver to always work. She'd had to resort to other methods in staged fights: blinding opponents had been her favorite, and pressure points she'd long forgotten.
In all, underhanded means, and thank goodness there were only so many ways to win first chair in a symphony.
"You're full of surprises," said Anna, appropriately. "Seems you remember more than you think." She rubbed her side, wincing.
And then... Well, then Cho let go, still shaking with adrenaline, and backed away. This was not appropriate -- not appropriate at all. When she closed her eyes, she had visions of a much darker form rushing forward.
"Sometimes. But please -- I really do prefer dancing."
Anna nodded, completely and happily unaware. "Let's go."
Location: Chinese Cultural Center in muggle London.
Date: 17th of February, 2000
Status/Warning: Closed.
Summary: The dance teacher is unpredictable.
Completion: Complete.
"What about self defense?"
Cho looked up abruptly from stretches, ear against thigh; for a moment she stared, and then laughed good-naturedly. "Why self defense, Anna?"
"That can be therapeutic as well. Have you ever considered it?"
"No. Why would I?"
Auror's training had been one thing, but application quite another. She'd been wonderful at spells, researching their history and use -- top marks in the sort of thing the Corps felt less important. They'd liked her for her potential in espionage, gathering information. When it'd come to the physical aspect of fighting, Cho's size had been both a hinderance and an advantage; but unlike others with the same problem, she'd been unwilling to do more than learn the basics. More and more -- further and further from it all -- Cho was seeing more clearly exactly how inappropriate she'd been for the job.
Anna, however, cleared her throat. "Like I said: therapy. Gives you a sense of body, timing. Like dance..."
"I never thought of it that way," Cho admitted, which was true. "But you know... I... I took lessons once, years ago." That wasn't. Decidedly not. "I can't say it ever enlightened me."
"What sort?"
"Oh, just your basic..." Wand removal by force. Chokeholds. "Your basic." And a fat lot of good it did me.
But... No, such things were not appropriate on dancefloors. She'd thought them all out, at any rate, and it wasn't as if it could change what had happened. Weeks ago an idea like that would've been hard to stomach, but now she disguised the tears by yawning exaggeratedly, arms over head.
Now it's long gone. It's over.
Cho rose to her feet, shaking out, and offered Anna a tired grin. Warm-up was her least favorite part of practise, it being that that was when she realised how tense she'd gotten in the days between. Then again ... She wasn't as sore now as usual, not since... Well, not since certain other tensions had been alleviated. (Any more detail and she'd blush.)
"Show me?" Anna suddenly asked, shrugging. "Why not? Interesting way to start a lesson."
"This is dance class," said Cho, rather flatly. "Besides... I hardly remember anything." Half a lie.
"C'mon, it'll be fun. Then we can get back to where we left off Saturday." A good-natured wink. "How was your Valentine's?"
"It was nice."
"Got a boyfriend?"
"Yeah." Cho nodded, putting her hair up. "Anyway."
"That's nice. Think your father may have mentioned a thing or two." Anna waited for a moment, gauging her pupil's reaction, and then laughed. She gestured as if to beckon the girl forward. "Come on, what, are you frightened?"
"I don't appreciate this."
"Why?"
"I just... I would really rather dance. That's why I came here."
They regarded eachother quietly for a moment, and Anna snorted. "You won't hurt me. You're a little twig! And what do you think I can do, anyway? Old lady like me?"
Cho arched an eyebrow. "Firstly, you're not old. Secondly, I'm not worried about hurting you."
I'm worried about you hurting me.
"Then we'll just spar a little. What's the harm?"
"Are you honestly asking me what the harm would be in--"
But Anna rushed her.
She rushed her, and Cho's only reaction was to start, throwing herself backward, and cry out helplessly. It was a controlled environment, but the sudden movement -- promise of attack, in one form or another -- brought back a sudden chain of reflex and memory she hadn't been able to recall, had been happy with suppressing. Tight scores of action, Fenrir's playbook -- and yes, that was the harm! There. That was exactly it. Cho flung herself away, shielding her eyes -- covering them -- but the ensuing scream did not stop the teacher.
In the second before impact, or -- or wherever Anna's trajectory would have taken her -- an inch from the boniness of either shoulder, something odd happened.
A little unexpected.
Perhaps as miraculous as Valentine's.
A second left and Cho's eyes lifted, hardened; her hands balled into fists quite suddenly, and before their bodies met she spun out, darting to the left, quickly enough to disorient Anna in her charge. (Cos above all else she'd always been fast, they'd given her that much in training.) A quick slip of the arm, an elbow to the ribs and it was over.
She'd captured Anna, and if this were training her wand would be at her throat. Probably. Something of that nature, anyway, and this wouldn't have happened often -- Cho wasn't quite tall enough for the maneuver to always work. She'd had to resort to other methods in staged fights: blinding opponents had been her favorite, and pressure points she'd long forgotten.
In all, underhanded means, and thank goodness there were only so many ways to win first chair in a symphony.
"You're full of surprises," said Anna, appropriately. "Seems you remember more than you think." She rubbed her side, wincing.
And then... Well, then Cho let go, still shaking with adrenaline, and backed away. This was not appropriate -- not appropriate at all. When she closed her eyes, she had visions of a much darker form rushing forward.
"Sometimes. But please -- I really do prefer dancing."
Anna nodded, completely and happily unaware. "Let's go."