[PRP]Algernon Mercer's Punch-Out ( jamie & alg )

[iloveyouDIE]

Jamie had reached out to Algie about possible self defense and while Alg knew there were probably more qualified parties, he had offered and mentioned in the past to the young man and perhaps it was easier coming from someone with similar demeanor.

It was probably the most relaxed Jamie had ever seen Algie, in a t-shirt under his sweater and more comfortable pants (that he didn't mind getting messed up just in case). They met up in advance, wandered and small-talked and very shortly ended up in other ashdown.

"Now what were you saying about being stronger?" Alg didn't like discussing too much magic on the 'home' side, for fear of people discovering them.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

It wasn't that Jamie was out to become the next Bunny Marciano or George Bunman. If all he learned was how to better manage his new abilities through actually testing them out, and not how to pull off any fancy boxing moves, that was okay. Asking Alg was so much easier than reaching out to a professional trainer or something like that. Safer, too, considering how quickly he'd be outed if hit a civvy a little too hard.

"I, um," Jamie hesitated, looking vaguely at his hands, "don't really know the extent of it. I'm just really strong now." How else could he explain it? "Like... I can lift the couch all the way off the floor like it's nothing."

He looked up at Alg and didn't say anything, but a quick-shot message would reverberate in his mind regardless: I could lift you, too. It was kind of accidental.

iloveyouDIE

Jamie has the instant-instant message power too LOL

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Alg blinked to the mental comment and his lips twitched into a smirk, "Are you calling me fat?" Came the tease back. Strangely the mental exchange came easy and he wondered if this was a new ability of his or Jamie's.

"Have you tested it?" He said out loud this time. On this side there were plenty of random things to punch that shouldn't do lasting damage. "Punched a wall or a tree or a rock or something?"

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

Oh. Jamie's cheeks lit up despite knowing full well it was a joke. It wasn't like he'd come into this power recently. Sending accidental messages was embarrassing. "You weren't supposed to hear that..." he admitted out loud. Hopefully the mental training he'd probably get thanks to his bond with Shiloh would remedy this sort of thing in the future.

"A-Anyway..." Alg had moved on, so he'd take that opportunity. "I haven't really punched anything. Especially not rocks, wouldn't that hurt...? But should I?" Looking around for something to hit, he laughed sheepishly. "I've accidentally broken a few things, though. It kinda sucks."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"I didn't know I could, or reply.." The older man blinked. So it must have been him.

"Well I don't know if it would hurt.." Alg chuckled a little, "Are you durable as well as strong? It could be a problem if your body cannot handle your own strength." Even punching or lifting things would cause strain on the skin or bones if only the muscle was stronger.

Alg had brought a bag with some borrowed gym pads. He'd asked Sigurd and Llyr and they had some old ones at the gym that they'd said he could keep for home use. The professor unzipped the duffle and pulled them out.

"May as well test it out hm?"

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

It was impossible to tell from appearances alone, and Jamie didn't actually know just yet, but he had the durability thing (mostly) covered. Quick regenerating muscles, impossibly strong bones... it would take practice to learn his body's actual limits, but that's what he was here for, right? Still, he swallowed hard. Jamie was always a bit of a worrier.

"I... I'm sure it'll be fine," he said through lightly clenched teeth. It helped to reassure himself. Just keep it together, Delacroix.

"I'm ready whenever you are." Eyeballing the gym pads, he tipped his head gently to the side. "What should I do first?"

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"Well first.." Alg produced a pair of padded fighting gloves and approached Jamie and motioned for his hands, "Put these on just in case." He tugged them onto Jamie and fastened them.

Alg then took out one of the beaten old gym pads and fastened it to a pole. That could be repaired if it ended up broken and Alg was prepared for that. He couldn't, if it came to it, fix his own broken arms.

It was an old style, sturdy, iron light pole.

"Ok. Punch that before you punch me." And he would watch his form, make sure he wasn't doing anything that would hurt himself, and move ahead from there.

"I boxed in college, I may have mentioned," Alg motioned to the pole, "and after the world changed found out I've been coaching a young man at the gym as well."

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

There wouldn't be much to find right with Jamie's form or lack thereof. He'd kicked and scratched, but never really punched anyone before, not the right way. Staring at the gloves, he looked like a fish out of water.

"Yeah, I remember you mentioning," he said as he readied his stance. Sort of. "I hope you don't mind coaching me, too." A nervous laugh later and he'd taken a swing at the well protected pole.

Funnily enough, it didn't seem like it did much.

"Um..." he muttered, sounding embarrassed. Fear of messing up had him holding back like crazy, but without waiting for feedback, he tried again. This time the pole made a loud, uncomfortable creaking sound and it shook, the force obviously much stronger.

iloveyouDIEEEE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Alg watched the first punch and it looked rather weak, even for Jamie. Nevermind that he didn't know how to punch properly. Before he could comment though, Jamie punch again and Alg could hear the pole shiver and creak.

The professor lifted his brows and moved closer.

"Alright now-" He came to attend to the young man's form, lifting his arms at a different angle, turning them and commenting lightly on the way he kept his elbows. "-Now try again, harder this time, and this form should relieve the stress on you more."

He then motioned to the pole again.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

It felt awkward holding the pose Alg had maneuvered him into and it showed. Everything about him was stiff, worse than when he'd been stance-less, but Jamie tried to tell himself it wasn't like it would be this way forever. Once he got it down, it would end up second nature, right? If he stuck with it, he knew it would be better for his own comfort in the long run.

"Okay," he said, slow and drawn out like he was debating something except he was actually just hesitating. "I'll try."

With a deep, contemplative breath, Jamie swung at the pole as hard as he could and boy he felt the impact like a wave up through his entire arm. This time the pole didn't just creak, it notably bent, quivering like it might break in half at any moment.

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Somewhere in Ashdown someone leaning on a pole may think they'd gained way too many pounds when it shifted and angled in it's base.

"Well," Alg adjusted his glasses, approaching the pole to gauge the damage, "And how much were you holding back?"

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

Hands squeezed together, shoulders hunched up and in, Jamie looked embarrassed. This had been the entire point of their exercise, seeing what he could do, but he'd honestly never meant to half-destroy something, especially not public property that would wind up effecting the real world, too. He hesitated to speak, but finally answered, trying to ignore the burn of his cheeks.

"I... didn't think I was, but... i-it's kind of a weird stance and stuff, so-" he swayed on his feet, "-I dunno, maybe just a little? I can try again if you want."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Alg laughed a bit at Jamie's red face and seeming embarassment, "No it's fine! It's impressive."

He moved back to the pole and there was a shimmer in the air as he pushed the pole back to place.

"We're on this side because it's easier to fix things," Alg made sure the pole was straight again, though it was clear Jamie had some impressive force behind him.

"So we know you're strong. How have you been at controlling it?" Accidentally ripping off doorknobs or crushing someone's hand would be a bad thing.

saedusk

 

[saedusk]

"Oh, right," Jamie said and his shoulders immediately relaxed. "Yeah... Yeah, you're right." The pole had gone back like it was nothing, easing some of his worry. Hopefully no one had been hanging around this particular pole, though.

With a deep, sighed breath, he gestured in a way that made it obvious he just wasn't sure.

"It's like... I keep forgetting it's a thing," he admitted. "I'll do something I'd normally do and overdo it... That's why I wanna learn to control it better. I don't wanna be scared to... to touch people... y'know?"

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"I understand.." Alg nodded, "It's going to take some work but you may need to constantly keep it at the forefront of your mind. The restraint."

Alg held out his hands and looked at them, "My hands. The power that makes them warm and soothing?" Jamie was familiar, even if he'd never spoken of it, "It's more than that. I can make anyone feel any emotion I want. It's especially difficult to keep my own from seeping through." That went for both the good and bad feelings.

"So there's been considerable practice in restraining my emotions from my touch," Alg glanced back up, "And it remains a constant effort, though now it's minor. You should get used to it until you're not thinking about it anymore." But it would, probably, make it all the harder to really unleash the restraint should it be needed.

saedusk