Strange Therapy

"Got it." Army gave a solid nod as he moved back into position and took on a tight stance. opting for a more defensive stance this time and keeping his eyes wide open. She was right. He was still thinking like a slugger from his boxing days, his brain just not comprehending the possibility that someone so small could do so much damage so quickly. He was learning better.

"Good stance, by the way." He started to move again, swaying from left to right and falling into the rhythm. "You ever box?"

"Thanks. And no, not really. Just seen people do it enough to at least understand a few of the basics. Now get ready, tiger." she said, beginning to move around just as he did.

Mariko knew it was generally not an easy thing to do to adjust one's fighting style, especially if the person had a lot of experience with it. But she was relieved to see what she was telling him seemed to make sense. Now she just had to see if he could put it into practice.

Inching toward him, she once again waited until she drew within striking range to make her move. Again she started with a feint, this time starting to bring her left fist forward for what appeared to be a jab. But she'd then pull that fist back and send her right out toward Army's stomach. She hoped he would catch on in time to be able to grab a hold of her arm as she'd instructed. But if he failed to do so, the punch would likely crash into Army's well-toned abdomen.

'Self-taught'. Army had met a few 'self-taught' boxers before, guy who stopped by the gym looking for a fight. Usually that just meant they smacked the bag around for about an hour and watched a few videos on Youtube, thought that was all it took. A round in the ring with a real boxer set them right, every tme.

Mariko didn't carry herself like that, so he was either lying - unlikely - or she just had a lot of experience to give her the right amount of sharpening - more likely.

Whatever the case, he was ready for her this time. Eyes forward. Lips closed. When the feint came in, he flinched, but he didn't fall for it, and his hand was right where it needed to be when it needed to be there.

"Gotcha." He nabbed her wrist, tight at first, but he eased up after a moment. Smirking. A little bit of a cocky smirk, but he couldn't help it.

Mariko sent her punch forward, and her lips curled into a grin when Army caught a hold of her wrist before the strike could connect.

"Nicely done. And see? Now no matter how fast I am, it'd be very difficult to avoid any kind of attack you use from here. You've got me right where you want me~" she said, carrying a teasing yet seductive tone in her voice.

But her expression and tone quickly changed as she went back to "teacher mode" again. "Just remember, this isn't some foolproof strategy. A smart enough opponent may try to hit you until you've released them after you get a hold of them. But as long as you endure long enough to get some offense in yourself, you should be fine."

Aw, Mariko wasn't in 'Sexy Mode' long enough. Army liked 'Teacher Mode' just fine, but even though he was trying hard to be 90% serious, there was still a nagging 10% that couldn't take his eyes off the steaming hot woman before him. Nature, couldn't be helped.

"If there's one thing I ca do, it's take a hit." He gave his thick skull a quick knocking. "Once I get close like this, I'll probably rattle them with a good hook. Maybe a bearhug or a body slam, pretty good at that."

A light giggle escaped Mariko's lips, both in response to his words as well as his efforts to remain professional despite the fact that his eyes seemed to be scanning over her curves every chance they got.

"Oh I don't doubt it. Wouldn't expect any less from a guy so big and strong~" she cooed, reaching her free hand out to rub over his toned abs. "Just make sure you don't tell your opponents your strategy when you've got a hold of them like this." she said teasingly, giving him a playful wink.

You're still holding her wrist, dumbass. Let go.

He released her wrist with a little bit of a chuckle, trying not to sound too much like an unrelenting dork through all of this. There was a time when he wouldn't have been this messed up around a hot girl, when he'd have been able to better keep his cool, but messing with Jackie was throwing him off a bit. He was doing his best to get his mind back on track, but it wasn't an easy trek.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind." He matched the playful look on her own face as she played with his body. No complaints on his end, she was more than welcome to touch whatever she wanted. He did raise an eyebrow. "By the way - I'm getting 'ideas' again. You're making it pretty hard not to. Not that I mind."

"Am I? My apologies." she replied before chuckling again. With her wrist released, Mariko brought her hand back to rest on her hip while keeping the other over his abdomen. She gave it a couple more light, teasing rubs before pulling her hand back.

"So, big guy, think you'll have a better chance the next time you have to deal with this girl? Or is there anything else I can help you work on?"

'Big guy'. Army liked that. He really liked the way Mariko said it. He had a little chuckle over it and scratched his ear, trying not to look too shy. Didn't want to overdo it.

"Eh." He gave her a little shrug. "I could probably think of four or five things you could 'help me with' off-hand, but time's a little pressing. Gotta get back to work." Seriously. His supervisor warned him about mixing wrestling with his janitor work, this was just the shit he'd need to fire him.

He started to back away, keeping her in view the whole time. The longer he got to look at her, the better. "Maybe we can hang sometime, though? Or have a match? Or, hell, both?" He hadn't had a real fun fight since he and Ro tussled. Was starting to miss what it felt like to fight someone who wasn't insane.

Laughing a bit at his first comment, Mariko then nodded in response. "Don't worry. I understand." she said. As entertaining as their training session had been, she certainly didn't want to overdo it and get Army in some kind of trouble.

"And both sound wonderful to me. I'll be around, so don't be a stranger next time you see me, alright?" Mariko said, turning on her heel and heading toward the ropes on the opposite side of the ring. Stepping through, she smiled over her shoulder to glance at Army one more time.

"See you around, tiger~" She gave him a playful wink before hopping down and walking back toward the women's locker room. And she knew that she'd be looking forward to the next time they met, whether that be inside the ring or anywhere else.