It was long overdue. She'd told Henrietta she'd train her to fight, yet it still hadn't happened. With all the time she had to do something so simple, nope, she hadn't managed it. Not even a little training had occurred. It seemed she had a problem with procrastination.

No matter, though. Lenna had finally gotten around to it. She'd called up Henrietta and arranged a date. They'd be training in the Mondragon labs training area today. She'd made arrangements for the facilities and everything.

Her lesson plan was simple. She'd do what she did for Kaitlyn. She'd teach Henrietta to kick people in the shins and run. Basic combat training was the plan of the day. She'd teach Henrietta to use her brains to escape dangerous situations, rather than her fists. Fists could only dent so much. A strong mind could move mountains.

Henrietta Braun had been waiting for her cell phone from the Kabal to ring for quite some time. She wasn’t sure what they’d exactly have her do or what she should expect when a call did come in, but she hoped that whatever it was, she’d be ready for it.

And then it finally happened. The brunette’s cell phone began to play a cute ringtone that she had set for all calls. It sounded like tinkling bells. She had rushed over and picked it up, her grip tightened nervously. Little did she know that it would be Lenna, which was a pleasant surprise. The girl didn’t mind Mr. Stein, but something about him had seemed almost inhuman and that had made her a bit scared and she wasn’t sure that she had quite gotten the answer to the question he had asked her.

Here she was, back at Mondragon Labs’ Training Area. Henri sported a black and white tank top along with a pair of black sweatpants and tennis shoes. She had a bag draped over her shoulder. Inside was a change of clothes, an instant hot pack, a joint wrap, some band-aids, a yellow towel, and a water bottle. Since she had gotten beaten up pretty good with Mr. Stein, she had made sure to bring some stuff in case. That way, she wouldn’t have to wait to tend to her injuries and watch them swell up and bruise. Actually, the girl did have her left ankle wrapped already. It had been hurting and giving her trouble, so she figured it would be for the best.

So she stood in wait for her new teacher.

Lenna entered the training area, towel over one shoulder, smile on her face.

"Henrietta," She said, stopping in front of the girl. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small can of pepper spray. With a light underhand throw, she tossed it Henrietta's way. "Catch."

There were bound to be some questions. Lenna beat the girl to the punch by answering them preemptively. "That's pepper spray. You use it by spraying it in the eyes of your attacker. It's a good self-defense tool, and if you'd had it back when I first met you, you probably wouldn't have needed my help dealing with those men. Do I need to outline the basic details about safety, proper usage, and carrying instructions, or are you good?"

When Henrietta first saw Lenna, she also saw something come towards her face. The brunette instinctively put her hands up to catch whatever it was. Before the woman even began explaining what it was, Henri glanced down at it. It was pepper spray. Her blue eyes blinked a few times, a bit confused as to why she had it.

Her eyes went to Lenna when as she told the girl what she was holding, even though she had figured it out, and asked if she needed to explain its usage. When she mentioned the fact that Henri probably wouldn’t have needed help if she had something like that in the first place, she felt a blush creep onto her face. Her hand went to the back of her head and she scratched while giving her new teacher an embarrassed smile. .

“Uhh, no I think I understand the concept.” Henrietta turned the can around in her hands as she looked at it once again. She quickly gave her teacher a real smile and made eye contact. “Thank you, by the way. I’m sure it’ll come in handy sometime.” She kind of hoped she would never be in a situation where it would be ever again, but there was a good chance an opportunity to attack someone’s eyes with a stinging compound would arise sooner or later.

Henrietta was embarrassed. She got the concept, but she was embarrassed. She'd have to gain some confidence in her abilities. A new goal was added to the list for today.

Lenna folded the towel over and set it on the ground behind her before turning back towards Henrietta. "No problem," She said. "You've been long overdue for lessons.Today is to help you gain confidence, as much as it is to teach you how to defend yourself. We should probably set up weekly lessons, if you want to learn any more complex fighting disciplines. For now..." She looked at Henrietta frankly. "I want you to try and attack me."

She said nothing else, just waited.

Well, come on, her eyes said.

Building confidence sounded very nice, considering the girl sometimes had a lack of it. She smiled at the thought of being able to go anywhere or do anything without feeling nervous or inadequate. Maybe people would treat her better if she gave off a sense of confidence, but she wasn’t really sure. Sometimes people who seemed super-confident were snotty, but other times it made you want to respect them more.

Come at me? This sounded really familiar. An image of Mr. Stein popped into her mind and she felt herself shudder. Attacking him had not gone well and she hadn’t even seen him fight before. Lenna, on the other hand, she had seen in action. She had been tough and swift, taking down a few men within a minute or two. There was nothing the brunette could do that would surprise her or catch her off guard.

So, even though she knew it was pointless, the girl ran at the blond. She dropped down and swiped her leg around in a circle at the woman’s legs. As she went downwards, her hair flew up and began to move. All of her defenses were up, so her hair also took action. It would do its best to protect her, but probably not do much.

((Would it be okay if Henri discovered her power growth while training with Lenna?))

((OOC: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgy7H0DQtH8 Brutal. ))

It was sloppy, and very slow. Henri was a novice. As the leg came sweeping, she hopped over it, landing on the ground a moment later. Her right leg rose as she balanced, whipping up to stop inches from Henrietta's face. She wasn't trying to kick the girl, merely to prove a point. Hair was there to stop her, but in a real fight, Henrietta might not have that defense.

"Messy," Lenna commented.

((Very. Lol))

Henrietta was now face-to-..leg? with Lenna’s leg. The brunette swallowed hard and plopped down onto her butt. A large breath exited through her mouth. She blinked in surprise. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until just then.

The girl stared up at the woman as she heard the dreaded comment. “Messy.” Henri sighed and started to stand up. “I know. I’ve been working with Mr. Stein some, but all we’ve done so far is practice falling.” A small smirk. “I’m getting good at falling, if that’s any consolation.”

"I saw," Lenna commented, nodding to the butt-planted Henrietta. "That's good, though. Falling is important. I can't tell you how many times knowing the right way to fall has saved my butt." Lenna smiled a small smile. There was a bit of fire in the glint in her eye.

Henrietta got back to her feet.

Lenna cleared her throat. "Now, if you'd come at me another way, the reaction would have been different. I'd been hoping you'd try a punch, so I could show you a take-down or a good counter. Fancy kicking maneuvers aren't always as much as they're cracked up to be. Sometimes," Lenna looked Henrietta in the eye. "Simple moves are much better."

"For instance, with those guys who were bothering you the first time I met you, if I hadn't wanted them giving me lip, I'd have just kicked them in-between the legs or in the shins and turned tail." Lenna said casually, shrugging her arms palm-up, as if it couldn't be helped. "The goal isn't always to win a fight decisively. The smart fighter lives to fight another day. It's the dumb ones that rush into combat without a plan."

Henri was glad that Lenna smiled at her. It showed she wasn’t annoyed, which was good. Her new teacher didn’t seem like the type of person who would be pleasant when annoyed. Not many people were very enjoyable when irritated, but something about Kabal members seemed extra-scary when thinking of making someone mad.

“Well, I could try to punch you now and see what happens.” She smiled slightly at Lenna and stood up quickly. Henrietta seemed perfectly fine, and even a bit perky. “I’m up for almost anything. I’m not a fan of violence, but if it helps me protect myself, then I’m totally willing to throw some punches.”

The brunette nodded as she listened to what her teacher was telling her. “I guess I was so startled and scared, that the idea of kicking them between the legs never occurred to me.” She looked a little embarrassed and was blushing. “But it needs to occur to me.” Her blue eyes met Lenna’s. “You’re very tough and smart, so I really appreciate your help.”

"Happy to help," Lenna replied. "As for the punches..." She laughed and shook her head. "I'm glad to see your enthusiasm, but I don't think sparring is on the agenda for today. At least, not that kind. No, the goal for today is much simpler. I want you to start learning the basics of self defense. ... Krav Maga, to be exact."

"Krav Maga is a style that aims to simplify fighting, by focusing on being reflexive, with few stances, training for efficient responses, and brutal counterattacks. The goal is efficiency. Strong, low-risk kicks, basic punching strikes, and various blocking techniques help round out the many elements in Krav Maga.It's taught to special forces all around the world," Lenna said. "Out of all the styles I've trained in, Krav Maga is my favorite. I'm sure you'll like it, too."

Henrietta blushed when Lenna laughed, but grinned all the same. She was a little embarassed since her fighting skills weren't great, but like her new teacher said, it wasn't about being flashy. It was about simple, protective moves. Protection was all Henri really wanted. She didn't want to be a fighter, she just wanted to feel and be safe. The girl looked at the woman as she explained what she intended on teaching.

"Krav Maga? It sounds interesting. I'm sure I will like it. I think I'll like anything that makes me a little less vulnerable and weak." The brunette smiled. "So where do we start?" She was actually a little excited. Lenna had looked so amazing when she fought. In a way, it looked elegant. Henri wasn't really sure if she'd ever look nice trying to defend herself, but Lenna also seemed to know more than one style. She could probably use a couple styles at one time.

"We start," Lenna explained, "With the basics."

With that, she launched into details, information about the style, and what Henrietta needed to know. She focused on giving Henrietta an idea of how the style was used, when it was used, and the basic principles behind it. She spent the next hour giving Henrietta everything she knew, and everything that would be useful for her. Finally, Lenna decided to call it a wrap.

"We should meet again next week, to go over more training." She said. "This should be a weekly thing."

(( OOC: Handwaving the actual training sounds like a good idea, as I'm no Krav Maga master. In another thread, we can work on doing some actual sparring, some handwaved training sessions down the road. Sound good? ))

Henrietta listened intently to what her new teacher told her and nodded once ans a while. Lenna told the brunette that it would be a weekly thing, and she actually felt a little excited. Not only would this be a good way to get in exercise, she would also be able to protect herself.

"That sounds great. Thanks for doing this Lenna. I really appreciate it. I think I'll feel more confident if I know how to handle myself if the need ever arises." She smiled.

((That sounds just fine. Just let me know when you have time for the next thread and I can start it or vice versa. Thanks!))