Preparation

[Rob]

Having rented out a training facility for private use, Jericho Cross stands in a good sized ring, next to a set of ropes. This ring was used for boxing, as evidenced by the cables used to keep the ropes from moving. He never understood why. What was the point? It's not as if one of the boxers would bounce off them for a fucking clothesline, but then again, it's a sport centred around punching your opponent's face into a brain damaged Picasso piece. So maybe there wasn't any real reason.

Ready to train in a black tank and dark blue track bottoms, he untangles the last cables and drops them to the floor outside the ring, running the ropes afterward to test them. A little stiff, but they'd serve their purpose.

"Are you sure you can still run a ring Jericho? You are retired after all."


Munin finished shaking out her arms and legs after stretching. Her eyes were twinkling and her tone teasing as she verbally poked her large companion.

Stopping in the middle of the ring, he raises an eyebrow at her.

Jericho: I can still put you through the wringer, short arse.

Returning the verbal poke, he gestures towards himself, inviting her to the ring.

Laughing Munin turned her head as if attempting to look at her butt.

"Might be short but it still looks good to me. I think you're just jealous."

She slid into the ring with a practiced ease. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and a light sheen of sweat was already forming from warm up exercises. Her work out attire were simple fitted shorts and a black fitted tank.

It looked good to him too, not that he was going to let on. If he's going to stay focused, he'd have to go into instructor mode right out of the gate.

Jericho: let's get to it. Since you're facing two very big guys, we should do some work on your reaction time. You can't hurt what you can't hit.

She nodded her head at his words, and rolled her shoulder before taking a stance.

Jericho: We'll start with evasion. I'm going for punches, kicks and grapples. Avoid them. Ready?

Munin: Yes.

Without another word, he throws out a left jab, aimed at the forehead. She side stepped the punch easily, and further deflected the hit with a firm palm strike to his wrist. All signs of teasing were gone, there was nothing but the fight...or in this case training.

Jericho: Good, you're paying attention.

Next is a straight right to the solar plexus, no warning, no pull. She took the hit, but pulled her body in deflecting most of the force from her core. Seizing the opportunity she spins with the force to return a punch to the jaw.
The blow turns his head to one side, but doesn't move him other than that. Turning, he appears to opt for a spin kick, but at the last moment, drops down to sweep the legs. She tiger jumped the sweep, and quickly feints back out of reach.

Jericho: Not bad.

His praise, when training, was never more than short and basic until the other person really showed him something. After the sweep, he lunges at Munin, taking her to the mat with a tackle. Placing her feet and bending her knees Munin twists to the side and uses his own force to throw him to mat.

That impressed him, but he'd keep it to himself. The less said, in his mind, the more wary she'd be. Good way to prevent cockiness. Walking over to Munin, he takes her by the wrist and walks her to the ropes. Shooting her across the ring, he decides to up the aggression. Being gentle would do more harm than good, after all. On the rebound, he runs at her quickly, lashing out with a brutal clothesline. Munin ducks and turns to face him, but he keeps going. Hitting the ropes, Jericho comes right at her with a big boot, aimed straight for the face. As soon as he was close enough she performed a seamless Kau Sau into Lap Sau. Pulling him of balance and twisting to deliver an elbow strike.

The block and counter cause him to stumble, but manages to stay upright as he turns to face her.

Jericho: Ok, not bad on pure defence. Now, you attack and defend. Go!

Faking to the right she come in low for a strike to his ribs. Easily deflecting the strike, he responds with a quick left to the top of the chest, pushing her back. He then beckons for her to try again.

With a wild grin she throws herself into a series of quick attacks. Blending her strikes into blocks and retreats with seamless continuous motion as she and Cross spar. Though he is the stronger of the two, he's not as fast as Munin, which allows her to land several blows on him. Nothing he couldn't take, but it meant her strikes were sure to land in her match. As another blow strikes him in the chest, he smiles. Without breaking away from the exchange, he offers some advice.

Jericho: Those guys are bigger and stronger than me. Find a weakness and exploit it.

She starts to target his floating ribs, the back of his knees, and the area between his navel and groin. Retreating after each sequence to regroup and twist out of grapples. Some of these seem to work, judging by the surprised look on his face. He always thought he was good at hiding what hurt and what really hurt.

Jericho: Time to play rough, is it? Alright, guard yours!

Like a trap being sprung, he moves in with frightening speed, snapping his arms shut around her as he holds her up off her feet in a bear hug, trapping her arms by her sides. Wrapping her legs around him, she flings her weight backwards, twisting her body as much as possible during the fall. As they fall, he breaks the hold, placing his hands on the mat when they land. In this moment, he finds his face inches from hers with her legs still around his waist.

Heart beating much harder now, he breaks eye contact and lifts her up as she is. Placing one of her arms over his head, he goes for a cradle suplex. She extends her leg in a fast burst of strength breaking the hold and allowing her to maneuver herself away. Staying on her, the former two-time World champion doesn't allow her to be still. If he wants to help her get ready for a handicap match, he couldn't let up on her. He goes for a kick to the side, but it's a feint, following it with a low kick to take her down.

Munin goes down, but quickly rolls into a crouch despite the pain, and executes a leg sweep to bring him down with her. He lands harder than expected, but ignores the sore ribs for now. Managing to quickly grab an arm, he gets a hammer lock on her and puts his other arm around her neck in a cross face chicken wing. To prevent escape, he pulls her down and applies a body scissors with his legs. He only applies enough pressure to keep her trapped, though. The aim isn't to beat Munin, but to test her.

For a moment she strains against him, pushing against possible weak spots in his hold to no avail. Seeing that her struggles are getting her no where she goes completely limp in his hold. Suspicious, Jericho gives a wary look. Keen to see what trick she may have up her sleeve, he slowly lets go, keeping his eye on her.

Whipping around, she throws an elbow shot with her turn, and followed it with a cupped strike to his ear with her other hand. She follows the strike immediately with a controlled hammer fist before retreating.

The cupped hand to the ear was a painful shot and the hammer blow showed him she wasn't messing about. Getting up, he follows her around the ring, refusing to give her any time to think. Managing to grab a wrist, he whips her into a corner. Walking up, he watches to make sure she doesn't have time to dodge as he suddenly snaps off a shoulder thrust to the mid-section when close enough. Letting her stumble out, he then hooks her head and lifts her for a vertical suplex.

The move was a good one and Munin was mentally scrambling for an escape. Knowing that there was no way to force her way out, she calmed herself and released the tension from her body. Allowing herself a slow inhale to think and in the process taking in the spicy woodsy smell that could only be Jericho. Wait what?

Letting out her breath slowly she hooks her legs around his neck and allows her weight to drop backwards. Finding himself on his back with Munin climbing off of him, Jericho takes a breath. It was bad enough that he was head over heels for Munin, but them repeatedly ending up atop one another was proving even more distracting. Getting up, he decides to push a button or two.

Jericho: That all you've got?

Munin: What was that? You say you are tired? I thought you said you could beat my short arse.

She takes in a controlled breath of air and exhales is with a slow right arm stretch.

Munin: All around this ring.

Jericho: Ha ha! I could, I'm not tired at all. Come on then.

He steps forward and engages her in a standard lock up. Big mistake. Finding his face inches from hers again, his eyes find hers. Losing focus, he finds himself hoping she fights at this point.

She blinked at him in surprise as their eyes locked, and after the moment ticked by she was thoroughly confused. He had the hold locked why wasn't he following through?

Munin: Jericho?

Her voice was a whisper laced with concern. That snapped him out of it. What to do now?

Jericho: Take control, Munin. What would you do here?

She quickly lashes out at his knee with her foot. The odd moment was forgotten for the time being. The kick causes him to buckle, but he regains his balance and starts backing her up in the ring. Forcing her into a corner, he moves a forearm across the side of her face and leans in, a classic dirty move.

Jericho: No DQ, how do you stop this?

She slams her heel down on his instep and then gently touches her knee to his groin.

Munin: Groin strike followed by a throat strike.

The stomp to the instep forced him to move back. He then looks at her knee, which was held for a moment in that threatening position.

Jericho: Good! Also, I appreciate not being kicked in the nuts. Much obliged. With a laugh Munin relaxed against the ropes. Small tendrils of hair had begun to fall around her slightly flushed face.

Munin: Well that would be a poor thank you for training with me.

Jericho: And a painful reminder of who I'm training.

He smiles, finding humour in it. Better a theoretical kick in the bollocks than a real one. He then walks up to Munin and gently places his hands on her shoulders, giving her a smile. He then, without warning, hops up and places his feet on her thighs, falling back to send her through the air.

Jericho: Monkey flip!

Munin hits the ring with a solid thump. The breath knocked out of her and her eyes wide in surprise. The man once known as The Dread King claps his hands twice.

Jericho: Come on, Sleeping Beauty, wake up!

She blinks her eyes up at him and takes in a lungful of air.

Munin: Asshole...

It's a hollow insult, even less so with the smile that slowly formed on her lips. Her smile is, of course, returned in that smart Alec way.

Jericho: I'm helping you train for a match, I have to be. Baby.

She sniffs at the endearment taking it as teasing.

Munin: I am not a baby, you're the baby.

She shook her head realizing how childish that sounded. With a self deprecating laugh she made to stand up.

Jericho: Had enough?

Munin: For now...

Jericho: Suit yourself. I can always pick on you another time.

Munin liked to tease her friends. The good thing was she could take it as well. Smile still in place Munin wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

Munin: Well I don't know about you, but I need a shower.

Jericho: I need to put the cables back on these ropes, but aye, I'll be having a shower too.

Given today's events, he knew it'd be a cold one at that. Sliding out of the ring she grabbed a towel to wipe down with.

Munin: Well thank you for training with me oh mighty dread king. Do you think you'll be up to another round?

Jericho: Not a problem.

Munin: It's a date to beat the snot out of each other then. See you later.

With a final laugh she left to make her way to a well deserved hot shower. Taking the opportunity to watch her leave, Jericho thinks about the days ahead, about Heatwave, and what may come after. Grabbing a cable outside the ring, he gets back in and starts tying it back in place. Despite all the things on his mind, it always returned to one topic.