After watching Lori and Sebastian depart to undertake their own business, Kyle had followed Noel as she exited the church to the main street. At his own offering, Noel was taking him to a location she was apparently more familiar with, a place she knew quite well. Some abandoned gym, she had said, not far from where they were. Kyle had no qualms about that, especially considering it was at his suggestion.

Before they left, however, Kyle ran to the back of Lori's hummer to retrieve his bike. Rolling the vehicle out, he moved it down a block and set it up there instead, knowing that Noel had said they'd be walking there. Fine by him honestly, but there was something he wanted to grab from his bike. A duffel secured to the back end contained two things he needed; a medical kit and several spare sets of clothes. As much fun as it would have been walking down the street in his shiny outfit, it would have drawn more attention then he would have liked.

Pulling on the baggy pants and long sleeved shirt to cover most of his outfit, he tossed the metal guards into the bag and tied on a pair of sneakers quickly. His jacket covered what his shirt didn't and; sliding the bag's strap over his shoulders, he caught up to Noel quickly. He had a more suitable change of clothes in the bag but really, no one would honestly thing he would strip down in the middle of the street to do that right? He'd change when they arrived at their destination, provided Noel didn't mind.

The trip, as it were, was actually quiet and uneventful. Noel seemed to want her space at the moment, her aura and body language telling Kyle that she wasn't exactly in a talking mood at the moment. He didn't blame her, but nor was he going to invade the fragile peace that had been made between the two of them. If she wanted her space for a while, Kyle was more then content with observing his surroundings, the people walking down the street...and her. Call him whatever you like, but Kyle was still a man. Last time he checked anyway, something about five seconds ago. And not only was Noel worth the time of day to look at, she was everything else as well. Strong, both in body and will, someone he could respect. But he couldn't let his mind wander to that; for now, he was pleased just getting the chance to train with her.

These thoughts filled the time it took for them to reach their destination. Glancing away from a pair of idiots doing crazy stunts on a skateboard(which one of them just critically wounded his chances for children), Kyle let his gaze fall on the building before him. Located just under the highway, the place looked like it had seen better days. Much better days. The entire thing looked like it had met with the ugly side of grandfather time...and lost horribly. Still, the place was standing, decently sized and wouldn't likely get any visitors anytime soon. Perfect.

The inside looked a bit better at least, a large open space complete with a square circle and various kinds of equipment laying around. Not a lot, mind you, but enough to cover enough necessities to keep one in shape. All in all, it was better then some places he'd seen. And a heck of a lot better then a church to conduct things like fighting. Whistling for a moment, Kyle placed his bag near the door, then turned to look at Noel.

"Well, it's not a four star hotel...and that makes it all the better. At least if your not looking for comfort and insanely high prices. Is it yours?"

Noel accepted her sword, her mentor's confidence and her new task in stride. It was ridiculous to say that she was not qualified. She was. She knew her stuff. And anything that she did not know, she could learn it. The problem was, could she teach it?

She tried to be patient with the bike fetching and the clothes changing, but there was definite part of her that wanted to tap her foot and get this whole thing over with. How long would it take to teach him... what exactly was she supposed to teach him again?

Something about how not to be a moron, maybe. Noel led him to her home sweet gym and didn't fault Kyle for thinking that the place was abandoned. No one ever shut off the lights as far as Noel could remember.

> Is it yours?"

"It's MacMillan's." In the darkness, Noel tapped her hand along the wall until she found the light switch and a post-it. She flipped on the florescent lights and as they flickered to life, she read. "Cross-training at the park. Turn the lights off when you leave." The brunette pressed her thumb against the note to seal it back onto the light switch. That was probably meant for the usual crowd and not for her, but it was convenient to have the place to herself for this... whatever this was.

"I don't know where to begin because I don't know what you want out of this whole arrangement." Blunt and honest, as usual. Noel set her hands on her hips. She had some things to clear up before they could even get to the good stuff. "I asked Sebastian to stop the fight because you're not ready for him and because you were fighting for the wrong reasons. He stopped because he respects my opinion and my mutation. I don't hold any of the same respect for you based on any of your previous actions or intentions."

Having said that, Noel peeled off her grey sweat jacket to reveal a red tank top. She was already dressed for a workout, but hadn't had the chance to get down to business because he'd practically ambushed her before. The memorymancer pointed to a men's room sign. "Bathrooms are there if you need to change. Otherwise stay here and don't touch anything. I'll go get you a sword."

Around the corner from the bathrooms was what appeared to be a closet and behind that was a staircase that Noel jogged up. She hung the jacket on the back of the door, grabbed a hair tie and went to the closet to rummage through their stolen cache of swords. She wasn't about to give up any of her favorites and she wasn't entirely sure how heavy a weapon was appropriate for his fitness level. Yes. He was fit. But until she had swung a sword around for an extended period of time, Noel never realized what specific arm and wrist muscles existed in her arms and how loudly they could scream.

She settled on a light saber. The blade was hardly over an inch wide so despite the length, it wasn't horribly heavy. The hilt was something reminiscent of the renaissance age, also long and slim with a straight a long guard and a glass pommel. The pommel was useless, but the handle was long enough for one and a half hands. The guard wasn't hooked or belled so it wasn't the best protection but it was what she had.

The sword went under her arm, the tie went into her mouth and her hands went up to her hair and she started braiding it. On a whim, she grabbed an extra hair tie on her way out of her room just in case Kyle didn't have one. Because he was going to need it.

Noel tromped back down the stairs fully expecting to see Kyle where she left him.

"MacMillan huh? Sounds like the guy out of that war game, Call of Duty."

Kyle took the small piece of time he was granted while Noel looked over something on the wall to study the place in more detail. The lights illuminated what he had already managed to make out, the ring, the punching bags, the weight machines. The lights helped to give Kyle a better understanding of how large the room was and exploring it slightly, he noticed that there was more just around a corner, including a closet and a staircase. Again, he remarked to himself, not a bad place to have to train in.

He turned his attention back to Noel, who had started answering his earlier questions, the one's he asked before they left the church. It was all logical when she spoke it, Kyle merely nodding his head in response as he waited for her to finish. Indeed, one look at Sebastian had told Kyle that no matter how good Noel was, he was ten times better, and Kyle had barely managed to handle her. Sebastian would have destroyed him and likely not have broken a sweat doing so. He owed her his life...he'd have to find a way to repay her for that.

Perhaps by being a good little student would be a good first step.

Kyle didn't get a chance to reply yet, however, as Noel removed her jacket and indicated a place where he could change before taking off around a corner. The sound of her shoes on stairs told him where she was going. Chuckling to himself, he silently grinned in his mind about the way she looked in a tank top, then he made his way towards the bathroom.

It didn't take him long to get changed really. The outfit he wore, while it was tight to his skin, was also extremely flexible and stretchy. Getting out of it amounted to no more then stretching the neck part and then sliding it down his body. He wore a black muscle shirt underneath it, as well as thin leg warmers to cover his lower body. He didn't need the leg warmers anymore, so he quickly removed them and slipped into a pair of jeans. Seeing as he was already sweating and that he would likely be sweating more, he opted against throwing on a shirt and exited the bathroom the way he was.

He was coming out just as Noel was coming around the corner. Smiling at her, Kyle tossed his duffel into a corner and swung his arms back and forth the stretch them, eying the swords Noel had brought with her. Nothing fancy from the look of it, but Kyle had no fault with that. He barely knew how to handle a sword, minus the odd time he'd played with one or seen someone use them. Fancy could come AFTER he knew what the heck he was doing.

"How do you manage to look so fierce when your clothes say anything but? Must be because of your aura and body language. Or maybe its because I know that you are fierce and that I'm gonna be hurting by the end of today.

Anyway, nice set of swords you got there. Nice place too. Shall we get to my butt-kicking then?" He didn't approach her, instead waiting for her to come to him so he didn't look impatient. Which, oddly enough, he wasn't.

"That remark was entirely inappropriate. My clothes have nothing to do with your training." Noel had to pause in her braiding to free up a hand in order to pass over the extra sword and hair tie. She didn't sound angry exactly, but she didn't sound like she was willing to put up with much from him. "Put your hair up, you look like a girl." This from the girl who was putting her hair up.

Now that she was more free, Noel finished up her braid and twisted her own tie around the end three times.

"The first and most important part is the grip. If you're holding your weapon wrong you'll loose it." Noel did not have a scabbard for him so he was going to get a lot of good practice in holding.

"Also your stance." Jeans. The man took off the clothes he could move in and put on jeans. What was he thinking?

Noel took a moment to close her eyes and think over the overview she had gotten of Kyle's training. She was going to try to use similar terms to what he already had experience with… which was interesting since he was largely self-taught. "Like a cat stance. Keep your body on a line to present the smallest target. Loose knees. Shoulder width. Keep your balance central, but keep the least amount of weight on your front foot. We'll start from there."

Noel went over his stance once he'd gotten that far, touching a knee here and a shoulder there to put him in line. It was possible that they would have to stop and do some yoga to teach him the value of keeping limber and flexible. Yeah, he moved well in a fight, but standing there with his sword he looked stiff and awkward. Maybe it was the addition of the sword. He'd never done swords before.

"Your weapon is a straight saber. Light weight because of the width and length of the blade. High quality folded steel and a full tang. That means the steel goes all the way through the hilt to the pommel. You shouldn't have a wobble problem."

Noel drew her sword and pointed out each piece as she talked about it. Hers was a saber with a slight curve at the end and a thicker, sturdier blade. The guards were hooked and made for catching and breaking other weapons. It was the one she carried most often. "Just like all those fantasy books you like. Hilt, pommel, guard, blade. Be careful of the pointy end. These aren't dulled practice weapons. They will cut you. We don't have a healer present so we won't be pointing them at each other. Understood?"

Despite himself, Kyle couldn't help but chuckle at her initial comment. It wasn't really funny, per say, but obviously the concept of "the man makes the uniform" or in this case, the woman, had sailed right over her head. "No, not my training. An appealing distraction, but you're right. Sorry about that."

Then she completely threw him for a loop by handing over not just a sword, but a small braid as well. Kyle blinked, confused at what it was for a moment, until he saw Noel using it to tie up her long hair. He stared, his face a mixture of baffle and growing realization of what she meant by giving it to him. A realization reinforced by her following words. Turning to look back at the tie, a cough slipped from him and he offered the braid back to her.

"Well, you're either gonna have to help me do it up or let me look like a girl because honestly, I have no idea how to use this. If you could please, that is."

From that point, Kyle switched his mind to another state. Another style. One of complete focus and study, to listen, to watch and to learn. Kyle was already painfully aware of how much Noel wasn't a fan of this idea and he didn't want to give her a reason to doubt it further. No, instead, he had to give her reason to continue with it. He had to impress her. And a good student tended to have that effect.

And so as she spoke, he listened. She told him how to hold his body stance when wielding the weapon. He adjusted as she requested, the example a thankful way of describing it to him. Luckily, his run in with the mutant Sara had given him a much detailed look at a "cat" stance. Mixing hers with his, Kyle found a stance that felt right, as close to what he hoped she meant. Whatever imperfections there we in his stance, Noel adjusted for him with little taps and gestures and words.

Then she explained his weapon to him, the light saber that he now adjusted in his grip. It was light, much lighter then the few swords he'd wielded before. He tested its weight in one hand, then the other, then in both. With a slight nod to her, he weaved the blade lightly through the air, testing his control of the weapon and giving it a few practice swings to test how its weight felt when he was actually moving it. His replies to her in this state were simple nods, acknowledgements or making his actions match her words. When she had finished, he stood there, in the stance she had given him, the weapon held as he'd been told.

"How'd you know I liked...right, saw my memories. Never mind that then. I'm familiar with what makes up a sword and I know what end is pointy. I think anyway.

I understand. I take it then that any practice with these, at least at present, will be strictly direction and perhaps visual guides in how to wield it properly first?"

An appealing distraction. That was the most insulted Noel had felt since she could remember. He apologized in a way that was dismissive instead of an actual apology. Noel accepted the hair tie back from him and positioned his head facing away from hers so she could braid up that weird colored hair.

Noel didn't always remember what was normal or right, but this was not. Man with long hair. Man with long silky, pretty hair like a demented My Little Pony. She tugged the pieces tight to make sure the strands would stay in place and then tied the end up tight and tucked the end strands back in on themselves so they wouldn't tickle him. The result was a slick braid with virtually no hairs loose or out of place. It was probably tight enough to pull on his scalp. Maybe it would keep the stupid inside his head.

"Correct. Learning first, application after."

Then, the learning. She stayed like a drill sergeant with nothing but information in her words and actions. She showed him how to grip it, how to take a swing, and then proceeded to have him take at least 50 with each arm. She did it too. Only, she'd done it before. He was going to hurt in the morning even with a lighter blade.

From there it was moving through a stance and more readily applicable strikes. He was never going to remember all this. Not from a single day. But Noel wasn't about to quit after all the comments he had made about her being a woman. She didn't appreciate talk like that. The way she was running through practice now was more like a robot than a lady.

Kyle realized his mistake long before the last of the words left his mouth. Body language was a great way of reading into a person's state of mind when their words said otherwise and for fighters like him, a way of predicting what an enemies next move might be. Kyle wasn't exactly sure what her exact reaction was to his words, but he saw a flash in her eyes, a slight tightening of her muscles. Anger perhaps? Rage? Either way, he realized he'd said something entirely stupid...and was at a loss for how to answer to his mistake.

Instead he focused on doing what he was told. The hair tie that held his hair in place in a tight ponytail behind him was tight, tugging on his hair and making his head ache from the strain. He ignored that, pushing forth his efforts to concentrate on her words. Her directions, both physical and verbal, to making his body match what she showed or told him. It gave him a way to forget his blunders...and to think of ways to correct them.

The grip was easy. Swinging it was as well, although as time wore on and the number of swings he took increased, he could feel his arms responding to the workout. He had an advantage though, in the form of his mutant power. The energy his body produced not only let him fire those painful bolts, but it gave his body a rather unique amount of stamina. Where others would be aching at this point, Kyle hardly noticed any real change to his body after the fifty swings, other then a slight tingle in both arms. Noel, off to his side, did the same exercise, her body moving fluidly and gracefully, the work of someone who'd done this hundreds of times before.

Next was strikes, varying in form and difficulty. Noel showed him how they were done, he copied them, she critiqued. Her voice was cold though, void of emotion and yet as sharp as the weapon she had held in her hands earlier. Part of him wondered how much she planned to teach him in one day; the other welcomed that she was teaching him so much.

He'd lost track of time as they pressed on, so he had no idea what time it was or how long they'd been at it when his brain finally found the words it wanted. He didn't falter from his practice to speak, merely continued on as normal while his mouth exercised itself. "Look, if I said something to offend you earlier...probably that comment about you being...well, a distraction, I'm sorry for it. If that were the reason I was here, I'd be ashamed of myself.

Your strong and that's why I asked for this. Experienced where I'm not; your appearance has nothing to do with that. I respect your strength and admire your skill. So sorry for offending that earlier, if I did. "

Swinging the sword in the complex routine she showed him, he fumbled near the end and bit back a curse as he simply repeated it over and over till he got it right. "And I'll say it; just because it doesn't have anything to do with this training doesn't mean I can't admire your appearance as well. Skill, strength, and beauty; can't go wrong with that combination." God's, he prayed that sounded sincere enough to gain a little bit of life back into that voice of hers.

She frowned at him, but this frown was different. Less disapproval, more... something else. "Drop your elbows. You've got chicken wings right now and that's why it's awkward." He went through the routine a couple more times, each time getting better. She really couldn't ask for more.

"It would make me more comfortable it you could leave me out of it. If I were any good at this, you wouldn't have a brain cell left to think about that kind of stuff." Repetition, demonstration, letting the student go through each bit on their own... wasn't that how traditional learning was done? Noel might be ruined to the process. Maybe she wasn't working him hard enough?

"You're lucky I can taste the truth." She had him run through it all again.

If Kyle hadn't been looking at Noel most the time to watch her suggestions, he might not have caught the slight change. To most, the frown she gave him might have looked the same as all the other frowns she'd been giving him. Kyle knew enough body language, however, to tell him this one was different. He wasn't quite sure how, but it wasn't a negative thing. Seems his words of apology had worked...sort of.

Raising an eyebrow at her suggestion, Kyle lowered his elbows to the suggested position...and found it was much easier to hold the weapon like this. Smiling, he tested his new stance by performing several of the moves she had shown him, testing how they felt compared to before. Surprisingly, they were not only easier, but it seemed to take less of a toll on him. Not by much, but enough to be noticeable.

"That's not true you know. You're teaching a lot better then most teachers I know; its just my brain is half work, half crazy. I'm good at multitasking."

Putting a bit more of this mind to the task, he broke into repetitions of what she had already shown him. Not a moment later, she told him to do it again. And again. And again. As he repeated them, she made him do them faster, change the sequence that he did them in, perform them in slow, deliberate movements to make sure he was doing them properly. His muscles started noticing the amount of work they were doing by the end of what had to be the tenth set...or was it the fourteenth...who could say? Yet he could still go on.

"I've been meaning to ask about that, now that I think about it. I figured out the mind wiping thing simple enough...but why did you need to kiss me after? Aside from reading my memories that is."

"Nobody's good at multitasking." Society liked to push that skill on people, but as far as Noel had seen, there were no real winners when someone multi-tasked. She continued to supervise his progress all the same after her stamina had run low and this energizer bunny kept going. He seemed, for all purposes, inexhaustible.

"I don't think you're crazy, though, for what it's worth. I might not understand your motives, but that's more a fault of ignorance." And in all likelihood, a certain amount of immaturity from both parties.

> "...I figured out the mind wiping thing simple enough...but why did you need to kiss me after? Aside from reading my memories that is."

"There's no reason, aside from reading your mind." She wasn't trying to be a cold fish, simply answering his question. What was she supposed to do? Lick his sweaty face? Lips were quite preferable, as Aedus had taught her.

Eventually, she was going to have to stop this because he wasn't going to retain the knowledge. His muscles were more likely to at this point than his mind and that wasn't even a dig on Forte's brain power. More a testament to how very long he had been hacking away at thin air.

The front door bell jangled. and someone called out a tentative hello to see who was home.

"That's more time than I'd thought we would have. We'll have to be done for today, Kyle. If you want a shower, you'd better run." Noel jogged off to the front door and a gaggle of very sweaty, very tired looking men. This wasn't her gym, but somehow she had become a fixture there just as each of the boxers in training. They greeted each other as friends and as usual, they ribbed her for somehow managing to drag home another man.

"He's my... apprentice. I think. Go easy on him."

Kyle continued swinging the blade as he listened to Noel, tuning half his mind to focus on the task in his hands, the other to focus on the task of hearing her replies. Trying to think of two different things at the same time did make him fumble a bit, till he focused on listening to her for a moment before continuing with a move. Not perfect, but enough to keep him from fumbling into a step that might cause bodily harm.

Amusement crept into his voice as he replied to that last comment, spinning the sword once in his hand before executing several quick jabs. "Well, if that's the cost of having my mind read, it's not a bad price."

The ringing of a nearby bell stayed his hand, the sword lowering to his side as he turned his attention to look at the source of the sound. He already knew the reason for the bell; it was tied to the door, a way to inform those within that someone was arriving. He'd heard it when he and Noel had entered eariler. The people entering through the door were all men, wearing light clothing and glistening in sweat. If Kyle had to hazard a guess, they were the regulars for this gym, possibly even the owner who was written outside.

Noel turned to them, then turned back to him to tell him they were done for the day. She then moved to join the group of men, greeting each other like you'd expect friends might do. Curious, Kyle stalked closer, holding the sword in his hand backwards so it faced away from the group. He managed to arrive into earshot just in time to hear them giving her jabs for bringing home another man. That brought an eyebrow up on him, though he couldn't keep the smile from sliding across his face. Not the first to be brought home to daddy and...daddys eh?

"I'd prefer to say friend, but apprentice works for now. No wonder you're so strong though; you've got a great batch of sparring partners to work with no doubt. I'm Kyle by the way." Saluting them with two fingers, he offered the sword to Noel to take before turning his attention back to the group.

"And an idea just came to mind. My lesson is done, but I'm nowhere near tired. Perhaps a few of you wouldn't mind giving me a sparring lesson. I've always wanted to see how my skills matched up to someone with real training. This is looking like a good chance to find out. So...anyone game?"

"Oh, we don't spar. Not really. They're all boxers—"

"And we're in a totally different weight class."

"Plus, who could hit dat widdle face?"

Noel juggled the swords until hers was safely put away and Kyle's was tucked under her arm. She spared a moment to roll her eyes at the group. Elbows jabbed between them and they pointed. Kyle and Noel's hair were done up the same.

"Awww... you braided each other's hair?"

"Did you tell stories about your first kiss?"

"Or paint each other's toes?"

"Guys. You smell." Her no nonsense was like a hot knife cutting through all the crap. Meanwhile, Kyle was having an idea. A bad idea.

"After our clash and all that training... you still have the energy to get beat up?" He was unbelievable. Ener-freakin'-gizer bunny. She shook her head and and shrugged at the guys in the way of giving her permission. If anything, the guys were in trouble. They were all sweaty after what looked to be one of MacMillain's death marches. Speaking of MacMillain... The brunette craned her neck to try to find the gym owner.

One of the guys with hair so short it looked a few days out after a shave noticed and explained. "Brandon's still out there."

Oh. Ouch. Noel mouthed the words. Brandon was probably getting the tongue lashing of his life.

"Welp. You can beat each other up until you're all black and blue for all I care. The unicorn will eventually come back and patch you all up so have at it." Her tone made it clear that she thought it was a silly, foolish, simpleminded, moronic man-thing to do. But they could still do it.

"I'm gonna put these away and shower. Have fun." She waved and turned on her heel to first drop off the swords and grab clothes before hitting the much neglected (and much smaller) women's locker room.

Being the stranger in a conversation between friends or comrades was always odd. For one, people often talked to each other in a way they understood, while an outsider would be confused and lost. Second, for portions of the conversation, they didn't even seem to notice he existed as they poked fun at Noel. Third, and finally; they spoke about him as if he wasn't two feet from all the action.

Still, for this stranger, it was no bother in the slightest. In fact, the banter was as entertaining as it was amusing, especially since all of them seemed to be taking shot at them as if they were -together- in that regard. Part of him liked that thought, the other was using it as fuel for the fire he would need to play out his idea.

Noel silenced the group with a short but to the point statement, which gave Kyle the chance to open his idea. To his enjoyment, it made Noel gap at him as if he was crazy. Or maybe it was in regard to the fact that he was still up for something that was physically draining. Smiling, Kyle shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? I'm like the energizer bunny; I just keep going and going and going."

This brought amused looks and slight snickers from the men, amidst a serious of groans that likely had to do with the fact that all of them looked as tired as sin. Fresh from a workout it seemed. Well, that was good in its own right; it meant the odds would be in his favor of lasting more then one fight or two. Noel herself simply stated they could go wild and that she was off to wash the signs of her own exercise from her body. Tilting his head to her as she went, Kyle grinned.

"Don't worry; I'll be gentle with them." Turning back to the group of men, Kyle folded his arms across his chest, then tilted his head to the side, a mocking grin sliding across his features. "Sooooooo...any of you actually got the courage to take on a little man like me or does taking jabs at me and her suffice for the level of your bravery? If it was, I think they need a shower for little boys...don't you think?"

Oooooooh, that managed to get to some of the hotheads. The ones who didn't seem to be riled now were likely the calm ones, who knew he was simply trying to incite any of them into this. Those were the ones that stood back and chuckled; the others were already spreading out over to the ring. Smiling politely, Kyle slinked that way as well, sliding into the ring and rolling to his feet before throwing his shirt off to the side. "Now now, one at a time now. Let's be civil about beating each other silly."

Enter foe number one. Decently big, well defined body from training, probably pretty quick...but already breathing heavily and his face was lit with the expression of one of the hotheads. Oh joy. Turning to glance at those waiting outside, Kyle shrugged...and the man darted forward and swing a right. Into the empty air where Kyle had been before. An arm swung back, fast and sharp, striking the man across the back of his neck and sending him forward on his own momentum through the ropes. The man groaned outside, and a quick check revealed he was down and rubbing the back of his head. Perfect. From the others, the jokes and muttering had gone silent. Smiling, Kyle motioned with one hand for the next person in line.

"Oh right, I should mention; I don't intend to fight like a boxer. I wouldn't have the first clue how. So please, let me see how it stacks up against trained folks such as yourself. I'm in your capable hands." Another man slid into the ring, this one calmer looking and his fists already up. Good, someone who would be an actual challenge maybe. Kyle raised his arms up as well...and then the fight was well under way as the man swung quick and heavy blows his way and Kyle did everything just to avoid taking one seriously to any place that could be bad. And threw his own blows whenever he got the chance.

This fight wasn't going to be over quickly.

The women's locker room was the only safe zone in the entire gym. It scared the bejeezus out of the guys to think that there might at any point, possibly be a woman in there. A naked one. Who owned a sword and wouldn't hesitate to take her own revenge not to mention the unicorn. It was a situation not worth messing with.

Being the only regular female, it was one of the few places where Noel could get away and really be by her self.

Her clothes, she stashed on the wooden bench outside plastic curtained showers. Her towel, she tossed over the cinderblock divider. She had a favorite shower and that was the one where she kept her soaps and shampoos. Nothing ever moved when she left because she was the only one to use or clean this side of the locker rooms.

It was an absolute relief to wash the events of the day away. She pulled her hair down and combed her fingers through it. Nothing could replace the relaxation power of a good, hot shower.

Which eventually had to end.

She toweled off and hopped back into a pair of jeans and a loose black tee shirt. One last scrub of the towel through her hair and Noel was braiding it back up before she went out in her shower shoes to see if Kyle had had enough yet.

To the men's surprise and his own, Kyle was still standing. And was well on his way to defeating his fourth opponent.

The second man had persisted in his quick jabs and heavy rights, keeping Kyle guarding more often then not. His blows hurt when they hit, considering that neither of them were wearing the protective gloves that boxers tended to wear. Blows hammered his arms, his stomach, his chest, several glanced off his head. This wasn't the fighting of an angry man; this was the cold, calculated attack of a professional in training.

Still, Kyle held on. And it wasn't as if he'd never seen boxing before; he'd just never taken a liking to the sport. So what the man was doing hadn't been lost on him. Wearing him down by keeping the pressure on. Against a normal human, it might have worked. Against Kyle, however, its effectiveness was weakened. It was a combination of skill and luck that won him that fight; the man had taken a moment to catch a slight breath and Kyle attacked. His first hit threw the man for a loop and from there, Kyle had managed to hit home till the man conceded.

The third man had opted for the same approach, but this time, Kyle didn't give him a chance. Kyle dodged in the first chance he got and hammered him home, sending him stepping back to take a breather. And thus the fourth man had entered.

This one was more cautious, but just as vicious on the attack. During one of the man's relentless barrages, Kyle noticed something crucial. Two things really; the man was overextending now that Kyle seemed to be collapsing. And that he was breathing heavily. Kyle winced under his now laboring breaths. That wasn't good. His power allowed him a greater degree of stamina, enough to baffle most people into how he could go so long without resting. The fact that he was breathing hard now spoke volumes about how close he was to running on empty.

That was when Kyle noticed that the man was starting to slow himself. And when he wavered, Kyle slammed him hard. A double uppercut to the chin, which knocked the man flat on his back. Panting, Kyle took a moment to balance himself, then nodded to the next man.

Noel would arrive just in time to see Kyle smashed through the ropes and landing with a thud on the floor, in the direction of the shower. Half panting, half laughing, Kyle glanced up to the sound of her approaching feet. "The energizer bunny ran out of steam. Ah well..four out of ten isn't a bad score." The men, laughing to themselves, gave Kyle words of encouragement and congratulations before heading off to the showers themselves. Rising to his feet, Kyle cracked his neck lightly.

"I'm enjoying this arrangement already. I think I'm going to like it here."