Quin had gotten back into martial arts, aikido specifically, because Haven regularly brought in experts to train the people who lived there in self-defense and the martial arts. From what she had heard about her old self, Quin knew that had been quite accomplished at that particular type of defense. At first, knowing that fact that made Quin want to avoid the discipline like the plague and it had taken her a long time to acknowledge that if her body was good at something it was foolish to shun it.

That had been almost five years ago.

Now Quin was back in the training room that had been designated for tonight’s session and she had some particular things she wanted to work on. She also wanted to learn some more offensive skills. After what had happened at the club the other night, she never wanted to be stuck, unable to defend herself again.

No matter how hard she’d tried to convince herself, Quin hadn’t managed to shave her head either, so she needed to know what to do if someone got a hold of her by her hair as well.

Her list of questions ready for the instructor, Quin stretched and prepared herself for when everything would start.

With Ranger back in Sveta’s good graces, Ranger was taking his responsibility as head of Haven’s security seriously. It was one thing to maintain a presence with personnel and improve physical security. However, Ranger felt that left a lot to be desired. The goal is to always have overlapping security measures. The final layer being individuals having the skills to protect themselves.

The program was open to anyone, not just members of Haven and Ranger made a point to instruct every so often. They would bring in experts in various martial arts fields and then Ranger would come in as someone who understood several of them but also was well acquainted with actually using them in a fight for his life.

That day the program was supposed to be aikido. Ranger was by no means a master in the style, nor was he there to train people for sport. There was always a place for practicing the kata with an uke and a tori (a receiver and an attacker), but Ranger felt freestyle practice was critical once there was a sufficient level of competence. In a bar fight your attacker was more likely to utilize a chair than a kata.

”Okay class. T’day y’ have me. So y’ know what that means.” Ranger began as he walked into the room and threw a bag across the room where it landed and slid under a seat. Ranger squinted his eyes and cocked his head. It went under the wrong one. ”Aikido with a twist. We’ll practice some kata but then we’re sparrin’. Ukes goin’ ham, multidisciplinary if y’ can.”

”Before we start; any questions, comments, concerns, dirty jokes?” Ranger said as he looked across the class, stopping when he saw a familiar face. Quin. The detective, well, her but younger. Ranger had a few run ins with her years ago. Then if the files at Haven were to be believed, she had been there for a while. Nack before Ranger had been deaged, and by the looks of it her as well.

The instructor today was a new one and Quin frowned a little bit as he came in and tossed a bag across the room and under a chair. What if he had hit someone?

Aikido with a twist?

Sparring?

Okay, maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Quin had been itching for a fight and if this guy was going to provide even a sparring match, then that was fine by her.

Dirty jokes? Ew. Who would do that in this situation?

He was asking for questions though, and Quin almost raised her hand to ask what she wanted to know, but it felt weird to ask this guy what to do if someone decided to grab her by her hair. Who knew how he’d take that so she kept her hand down and her mouth shut for now and decided to see how the day progressed before asking her very specific question.

”No?” Ranger looked around the class before nodding. ”Okay, everybody find a partner.”

Ranger stood at the front of the class and let everyone move around for a few minutes and find someone to work with. After everything settled Ranger spoke again, ”Okay. We’ll walk a few times through some basic forms. One person will attack and the other will defend. We’ll do it a couple times then switch.” Ranger began to move his body through the motions of the techniques as he spoke. ”Katate-dori.” Ranger reached out and grabbed an invisible opponents wrist before returning to a ready stance, ”Nikyo.” Ranger brought one arm in and held out the other like he was pushing away someone by the throat before he moved the arm in as if running it along an arm that was holding his wrist. Finally he moved the ‘captured’ wrist toward his shoulder rolled the arm attached to the shoulder up and over where he grabbed an invisible forearm and bent forward.

From there Ranger gestured to the class and said, ”Begin.” He then started walking between the groups, observing. After a a couple minutes he called, ”Switch.”

They were instructed to find a partners and Quin did as instructed, pairing up with a woman about her age that came sporadically to these sessions. Hopefully sporadically was enough to know what was going on.

It took a few minutes, but luckily they had an even number of people and soon enough they were able to get going.

The kata was calming and just the tiniest bit monotonous…the better to warm up and kick muscle memory into play for the sparring they’d be doing later. Quin took her role seriously, and her partner knew at least enough to to be in the right place at the right time.

When the instructor said switch, they switched and repeated the motions. Quin’s partner wasn’t nearly as good at this part, but Quin helped her here and there and soon enough they’d worked through everything from that side as well.

By the time they’d finished, Quin was practically bouncing with energy and ready to get to the ‘with a twist’ that this somewhat uncouth but clearly knowledgeable instructor had mentioned.

”When you say, ‘with a twist’ Quin said called out as they waited for more instruction, ”What kinds of styles do you think pair well?”

Once or twice Ranger stopped a pair and offered a small correction in the movement, but otherwise the group was doing well as a whole. Most of the people in attendance had been to the classes before and doing katas like that was a simple enough warm up.

When Ranger was on his way back to the front of the class he heard someone call out. Ranger turned and realized it was Quin who had posed the question. Ranger wasn’t a huge fan of aikido as a style, it had its place but there were reasons no competitive MMA fighters used it.

”Aikido is great for when a drunk guy puts his hands on y’ at a bar. Efficient movements an’ great use of mechanics against someone who’s grabbed y’. It comes up short on two fronts. Dealin’ with stikes an’ takin’ the offensive. Mixin’ in techniques from brazilian jiu-jitsu would help. Like aikido it helps a smaller person manage a larger opponent. It is all about leverage an’ weight distribution an’ a lot of attention to what t’ do after y’ve put y’r opponent on the ground. If y’r feelin’ frisky, muay thai might pair well. The way of the eight limbs, teaches how t’ turn your entire body into a weapon. Hands, shoulders, elbows, feet, knees. An’ like aikido an’ BJJ it has clenching techniques t’ bring your opponent t’ the ground.”

Ranger could see he had lost a few people. ”Okay. Do we jus’ want t’ move on t’ the twist now? Spar against y’r kata partner ‘r y’ can spar with me. Test what y’ve learned against someone outside of a kata.” Ranger looked back to Quin, "Y' wanna start, Quin?"

Quin. Was. Riveted.

Clearly this instructor was rough around the edges and talked like he had a mouthful of marshmallows, but the way he was talking about other styles had Quin more excited than she’d been about anything in a while.

Brazilian Jiu-jujitsu sounded right up Quin’s alley, she liked the weight and counterweight involved in aikido, but had always thought it lacked a bit, even getting embarrassed early on when she’d asked about offense. The fact remained that she had felt helpless when that clown had wrapped its hand in her hair and she didn’t want to feel that way again. Not ever again.

They were going to spar now, and Quin found herself bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation again as the instructor pointed out that they could spar with their warm up partner or him.

Quin wanted to spar with him. Maybe she could pick up what she needed quick enough to use it if the need arose.

Until he called her by name.

At that, all the energy left the redhead and she stopped in the middle of the floor.

He knew her.

”No, it’s alright.” she said, ”Someone else can go ahead and go.” she said, and walked away, towards where she’d dropped her water bottle and picked it up to take a drink while she decided if she was going to stay or not.

Quin’s excitement for the class went from 60 to 0 in an instant. All Ranger had done was caller by her name. Call. Her. By. Her. Name. There was something there. It was clear she had been deaged, just as Ranger had. Quin seemed to have lost more time than Ranger had. Whatever it was, people she hadn’t remet recognizing her was problematic.

”Oh---Okay. Anyone else game?” Ranger saw a man raise his hand and pointed at him and waved him over. ”All y’ need t’ do is get a submission. Ready?”

The man gave an uneasy nod and Ranger’s arm shot out and grabbed the man’s arm. The man acted on instinct and broke the hold. Ranger switched weight to his other foot and grabbed with both hands. Again the man used the correct kata and pulled Ranger into a submission.

”Good.” Ranger said, his head upside down as the man was forcing it toward the ground by bending Ranger’s arm at a horrible angle. Ranger used his other arm to take tension off so he had the freedom to strike above the man’s kee sending a wave of pain followed by numbness. The man let go of Ranger and put his hands on his leg.

”Y did the kata perfect. Problem was I wadn’t ready t’ submit. As long as I have a free hand, legs, ‘r even an elbow I can fight back. Try this, y’ can do the same move, but use the knee.”

Ranger demonstrated the maneuver and then had the man try again, literally having the man knee Ranger in the face. Ranger stumbled back with a thumbs up. From there he shook off the impact and then showed the man a maneuver for when someone threw a wide punch that resulted in them on the ground, with their arm wrenched up behind them.

”Go work on it with y’ partner/” Ranger pat the guy on the back and called out, ”Who's next? ”

The man leading the class didn’t follow her, he didn’t even say anything as she just walked away. Good. She needed a minute.

The lesson continued and Quin couldn’t help but be impressed with the teaching style on display. The instructor was not afraid to take a hit and the instructions he made worked every time one of his students followed them.

Quin sighed. She couldn’t leave, not with an opportunity like this so accessible.

So she waited, and she watched, and she tried to commit as much of what he was saying to memory as person after person went until there was nobody left.

”I’ve got next.”

Student after student, Ranger worked through different approaches. Sometimes at first glance what he did seemed bizarre, but that was the situation. He would counter aikido with BJJ or engage someone with an attack from a bar fighter’s playbook and force the student to adapt. In every instance Ranger broke down what the student should do and let himself take a hit if necessary. Sure he would have bruises for a week, but Ranger was certain none of the students would be able to do lasting damage.

Finally, Quin was ready to spar.

Ranger waved her over, ”Alright.” Ranger made a point to not say her name. He didn’t want to spook her again. ”Anythin’ in specific y’ want t’ learn, ‘r jus’ some general stuff like the rest of the class?”

”Just general is fine. Quin said on approach, shaking out her arms and bouncing just a bit on the balls of her feet as she approached.

This was the whole problem, Quin thought as she tried to figure out what to do. In real life you couldn’t always just stand back and wait for solemne else to make the first move. Sometimes when you did that, it was too late.

Frustrated with the situation and with herself for her earlier actions, Quin darted forward, hoping to goad the instructor into making a grab at her so she could get leverage.

Ranger nodded. Quin was fine with just general tips. Ranger took a relaxed fighting stance with open hands. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other while Quin moved about. She darted forward. Ranger assumed, like the other students she was expecting Ranger to grab. It was aikido, that’s what a lot of the training was there to combat.

Instead of grabbing Quin, Ranger pushed of with his back leg (his right) and moved his lead foot (his left) forward while turning it perpendicular to Quin’s lead foot. The right foot came forward and around to the calf of Quin’s lead leg to wrap his ankle around the leg. At the same time he brought his right arm up and around to push on the opposite side of Quin’s face. Outside lead leg sweep. An almost effortless muay thai move.

Quin had pretty much known that she wouldn’t be able to goad the instructor into making a grab for her, and he didn’t. Instead his leg came forward to wrap around hers and Quin found the side of her face meeting his arm as he shoved her down.

And down she went.

This, she thought, was what she needed.

Quickly, Quin came to her feet and moved forward once again, completely aware that this was going to end with her on the ground.

Good. She could already remember the way the instructor had stepped, the way he’d twisted to bring her arm around.

Instead of trying to goad him into a grab this time, Quin just ran for his midsection, intending to try to bring them both to the ground and see what she could do from there.

Quin went down and Ranger bounced back a few steps but kept his arms up and his weight relatively balanced. He watched her get up and watched to see what she would try this time.

”Good recovery.” Ranger said before he realized Quinwas bull rushing him.

Ranger moved one leg back and took the hit. His power responded and his muscles shifted and grew. ”Two lessons. First, y’ never know how much stronger the opponent is.”Ranger wrapped his arms around Quin and dropped backwards onto the ground. Once he was laying on his back he wrapped his legs around Quin’s torso to pin her in place and let go of her with his arms. ”Second, now I’m in full guard.” Ranger violently twisted and brought his elbow close to Quin’s head, but didn't make contact.

Quin didn’t even hear his compliment as she barreled forward…into an absolutely brick wall of man.

Then they were going over backwards as he spoke, delivering two lessons in rapid succession as she fruitlessly attempted to get herself free from first his arms, and then his legs as he wrapped her up and pinned her to the ground.

From there, the instructor brought his elbow around and Quin flinched as it stopped a hair’s breadth from the side of her head.

”Let me up…” she said, struggling against the immovable mass of legs keeping her from moving.

”Let me up….I want to go again.” .