Game. Set. Match.

She would have been worried about him had he not been laughing after his meaty collision with a concrete floor. Sometimes, Noel just didn't understand people.

Also, challenging the whole of the gym to a fight was one way to either alienate the entire group of trainees or get on good terms with them. It seemed Kyle's sloppy boxing paired with his can-do attitude put him firmly in the second category. That was good because Noel couldn't protect him from them. Nor did she want to.

"You look like you've had entirely too much fun." The kind of fun that would lead to black and blue blotches across his skin. She offered her hand to him to help him up. He looked like he actually, for once, might need it. "So now, have you had enough?"

When Noel offered him the hand, Kyle gladly took it. Adrenaline was a wondrous thing when you needed it, allowing you to push on despite ailments that might be affecting the body. In this case, the adrenaline had driven off just how pummeled he had gotten in the end. And now that it was wearing off, all that pummeling was hitting home.

His arms, his legs, his torso, his head...heck, even his toes and fingers seemed sore. But it was a good sore; it left him with the feeling of a job well done and an exercise well spent. It drove off at least a portion of the aching pain his body was in to think that.

Panting and putting his hands on his hips after getting to his feet, Kyle smiled at Noel to her words. "I always try to have fun. When it's a harmless spar like that or training especially. And today has been more fun then I've had in a while.

Yea, I'm done...for a little while at least. Being drained from physical effort takes less time then if I'd abused my energy power to recharge. Gimme some food, rest...and perhaps conversation with you to tickle the brain and I'll be right as rain. If you wouldn't mind sticking around so we can get to know each other a little better, of course."

Yep. The energizer bunny had finally run out of juice. There was some satisfaction in finding that there was, indeed, and end to all the madness. "Sure. I still want to talk to you about your reasoning in all this. Why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll take care of this mess."

By this mess she meant the casual splatters of blood in the ring and the smudge of it on the floor at her feet. Yeah. Somebody had to. This time she would just for sake of time. Next time he would be responsible for all the things an apprentice should be responsible for.

As for getting to know each other, that was sort of a moot point. There wasn't much to know about Noel and anything she wanted from him, she could probably get. He seemed more than willing.

"Think about where you want to go. I probably won't eat anything so it's up to you." She wasn't looking out for her figure. She was looking out for her mental state. Restaurants cut corners all the time. Noel went to fetch a sponge.

There was something off about the way his neck felt, so as Noel responded to him, a hand drifted up to the side of his neck. With only the slightest of effort, he pushed against that spot as he craned his head sideways suddenly. His neck made a victorious and reliving crack and pop as whatever he'd pulled there fixed itself, a sigh of relief sliding from his lips.

Then, turning his attention back to Noel, Kyle smiled as he glanced towards the showers. "A shower would be nice. But you shouldn't have to worry about the mess. I was intending to clean it up after I finished up."

A thought hit him then that with the exception of the pants he was wearing now, the shirt he'd discarded somewhere nearby and his outfit that he'd faced Noel in, Kyle didn't have any other clothes. The shirt and pants would suit him just fine but going out to a public place with clothes stained with sweat and blood? It wasn't happening; for as much the reason of appearance as it was to avoid questions.

Besides, his intent had never been to take her anywhere for dinner. No, Kyle something a lot more simplistic in mind. "Actually, I don't have to think very hard about that. If you've got food here and a place to prepare it, that will work just fine. If you don't, a simple store run can solve that." Still smiling, he turned away from her and started moving towards the showers, glancing over his shoulder on the way out.

"After all, cooking is the least I can do to show my appreciation and I don't mind in the least. Plus we can talk without having to worry about annoying spectators overhearing things they don't need to hear. But we can worry about that once I clean myself proper." Then he disappeared entirely into the showers, into the warm embrace of hot water that dulled those aches and pains the battle with her, the training and the sparring with the boxers had inflicted upon him.

Kyle wasted little time in letting the water cleanse his body and once he was sure he'd gotten everywhere, he stepped clear and toweled off. Slipping back into his jeans and rubbing his wet hair with a towel as he exited the showers, glancing around for Noel as well as his tossed shirt. Bare from the waist up was okay, but hardly appropriate at this moment. "So, you wanted to ask me some questions?"

Thick popping sound from the neck? Shudder. There was something seriously wrong with this guy.

"Yeah, yeah." Just about summed up how sincere she thought he was about cleaning things up too. He went to shower. She removed the evidence of the extra fights. Not a moment too soon, either. MacMillan drove in the last sweat drenched straggler just as the memorymancer was tossing out a bloody rag. So many questions and accusations dodged with some good timing.

Besides. Kyle had promised to cook.

He came out of the misty depths of the men's locker room unscathed and de-funkified. Also, de-shirt-ified.

> "So, you wanted to ask me some questions?"

"Yeah, but it's not like I have a list prepared. Why don't we start a conversation like human beings and see what comes to mind. Like food. What do you know how to cook?" Noel's food preparation menu was very limited. She could make pancakes like Aedus' mom taught him how, grilled cheese and cereal. That about covered it. "Not a lot of cooking happens around here so we're likely to have to hit the convenience store for groceries."

Kyle's eyes found the shirt easily enough, carelessly discarded beside the ring. A glance around the gym revealed that his destination likely lay beyond where his shirt was, so he could always gather it quickly as they headed that way or before they made a trip to the grocery store for supplies.

With that in mind, Kyle turned his attention to Noel, noting before he turned his gaze her way that of mess he'd made had been cleaned. So much for doing the good deed of cleaning up.

"You mean we haven't been so far? I'm surprised.

As for what I can cook, it depends on what I have on hand. I'm not a master chef by any means, but I have a good mind for mixing what's available to me to make a decent meal. I can do basic meals with a little something special, or fancy depending on what I can use for supplies." Stepping to her, Kyle folded his arms and glanced to where he suspected the kitchen might lie.

"Let's see what I have to work with first perhaps, then we'll decide whether a trip to the store is needed, hmmm?" With a gesture of his hand, Kyle indicated for Noel to lead the way before he would fall into step with her, if need be.

"Before was not a peer situation. I assume now it's better to talk like regular people." She had to clarify... or... had Kyle been joking? Subtlety and sarcasm were not Noel's forte.

But he was more interested in cooking. For some reason this made her uncomfortable. "Yeah. Kitchen's in here. Sebastian usually brings stuff home so..." So there was no meat. He didn't eat meat and Noel didn't cook so... no meat. Noel led Kyle to the kitchen which was as humble as he might have guessed it would be. They used to keep steaks in there to keep the swelling down but the unicorn healed away the need for any of that.

"Most of the stuff is in the fridge." There was no pantry to speak of so there were even a few cans in there. Noel let Kyle explore in there while she opened the cabinets for him to show what they had. The first she opened held about 6 bowls, 4 cups and 3 spoons. That was the cereal cabinet. The next cabinet held a big soup pot and a ladle along with a very small frying pan and a wide wooden spoon. There was also one of those sort-of scoop things with lots of little prongs... Sebastian made magical things happen with these few tools. Every now and again he even brought new ones home. Like the cutting board and knife in the sink.

"Soooo..." Making something here always seemed a bit cray to Noel. Aedus had every tool imaginable. Even a single serve coffee maker. "You think you can make a meal from this?" Not a taunt. Just a question. A slightly skeptical question.

Even as Noel was speaking, Kyle was making headway for the lone fridge in the small but decent kitchen. His mind was already beginning to work its magic; now all he needed was to see what ingredients he could throw into the pot.

There wasn't much in the fridge to be honest. Some spare fruits and vegetables, a head of lettuce, cheese, water and milk, a case of pop that was half empty, a case of eggs.. The freezer was near empty too, save for some frozen items, none of which were meat products. A small frown slid across his face, and yet, his mind was still working. Considering what was on hand, Kyle stepped back to see what was in the cabinets that Noel had opened, stroking his chin as he pondered what needed to be done.

"Hmmm, good question. Most would say no. Me on the other hand...I have a few ideas." Turning back to the fridge, Kyle singled out the eggs, the fruit, the cheese, and several kinds of peppers. Turning to the cabinets, Kyle glanced around them for a moment, then turned back to Noel smiling. "We'll have to make a store run for sure, but yes, I got the perfect plan in mind. We'll need bread, rice and some ham. So come on then, our stomachs are waiting!"

Chuckling, Kyle stepped past her back into the main gym, grabbing and tossing his shirt on in short order before turning back to wait for Noel at the door. Once she caught up, he'd start off for the store, making sure to keep pace with her. "So what's the story between you and Sebastian? He doesn't seem to be the kind of guy that would take on learners without a good reason. Does he fancy you or something?"

So long as Kyle knew what he was doing... Rice and bread? She just couldn't figure out what used both rice and bread. Noel jogged to catch up, stuffing her hands into her pockets as they walked out of the gym and down the street toward the closest convenience store.

Also... fancy her? That was like asking if she liked to kiss her grandfather. A grandfather that sometimes kissed other grandfathers. Noel's face said ew. "There's no story. He offered to teach me and I offered a place for him to live in return. Simple as that."

She remembered fighting him in the woods and stealing swords with him that first night that they met, but... "I don't actually remember meeting him. We've simply just been in tandem." Like they fell into each others lives when they both happened to have an opening. She'd never thought about it before, but that seemed a little convenient. Hmm.

The neon lights of the store flickered on as soon as they walked up. Was it getting dark already?

The sun was just setting outside, casting long shadows across the buildings and leaving the entire area baked in a orange-red as the sun slowly started slipping beyond the horizon. The night area was slightly cool, but after the exercise he'd been doing, that cool air was refreshing to his skin. Doing a double check that his wallet was still in his pants, Kyle started off for the store.

Her explanation of her relation with Sebastian was honestly not what he expected. Or maybe to him it seemed strange; a man suddenly appearing and offering to train someone out of the blue? Kyle asked people to fight out of the blue, but well...hadn't he basically just done the same thing?"That's all? He just materialized out of thin air and said "Hey, I can teach you the sword."

Shaking his head, Kyle spied the store in question just ahead, its lights flicking on as the long shadows triggered the night timers. Continuing on into the store, Kyle gave a brief nod to the man at the counter before moving off among the isles to find what he needed. Grabbing the rice as he passed it, Kyle moved along with the conversation.

"Well, considering what I gather your power to be, maybe you accidentally forgot your meeting with him. How does that work anyway? You looked into my eyes and then everything was a blank all of a sudden. And then you're talking about things you can't have known about my past. How did you learn about them?"

Did Sebastian materialize out of thin air? Noel was betting not, but she couldn't remember meeting him for the first time. She just remembered running around with him as if they'd been stealing swords and dueling for years. Maybe they had, but it didn't matter. He was her teacher and she was his shadow.

Noel followed Kyle through the aisles with her hands in her pockets like the food might jump off the shelves and bite her.

"Maybe..." She practically admitted that she may have forgotten meeting Sebastian but the intimate details of her power weren't up for discussion her tone was firm on this point at least for now. "I doubt it works like you think it does."

He had the sequence of events wrong in his head, but he couldn't have known since she didn't talk about Kyle's past until after she'd temporarily neutered his ability to remember his own power. Lip for knowledge, eyes for forgetting. He was going to have to figure that one out on his own, though. There was something... off about Kyle in Noel's eyes. He was a weird mix of naive and stubborn and something else she couldn't put her finger on just yet.

"It's not that I think you'd sell me out or anything, I'd just rather not deal with it." She shrugged it off. Once people knew how it worked they started doing little things, maybe on purpose maybe subconsciously. Avoiding eye contact, wiping off surfaces, dancing around what they really wanted to say... she didn't want that. If she could put that off indefinitely in any relationship, she would.

"You got everything?"

While Noel was replying to his inquiries, Kyle was scanning his eyes back and forth along the aisles, trying to locate the final two items he needed for the meal he was making. The bread finally came into view and Kyle quickly snatched it before turning his attention back to Noel to answer response to her. There was a brief frown on his face at her words, his mind twisting around a little to try and see if he'd made an error in his judgment.

"Hmmm, perhaps. But I can only work with what I know. And while I have a bit to work with, I don't exactly have the picture painted yet."

Turning down another of the aisles, Kyle found himself in the frozen section. Glancing about, Kyle reached into one of the displays to grab the frozen ham that was sitting there before grabbing a small bag of perogies as well. Moving down slightly, Kyle opened the cooler and grabbed a jug of orange juice to fill out his load before making his way to the register, Noel in tole.

"If I ever sold out anyone I consider an ally, for any reason, you have my fullest permission to run me through with your sword. Maybe one day when I've earned the right level of trust you might tell me...till then, I'm content to wait. It's a bit of shame though; guess you can't fault me if I'm not talking to your eyes though."

Chuckling a little at that final bit, Kyle put the small gathering of items; ham, rice, bread, perogies and juice, onto the counter and watched as the lady rung them up. When the bill came up, Kyle put down the money, got his change, thanked the lady and moved to head back to the gym. "Yes, I think I've got just what we need now. It won't be a five star meal but...it shall surprise you I hope."

Perogies. Noel was quiet fascinated with the package of pre-made frozen lumps. They looked kind of Asian inspired? But the name was totally not. It was far easier to mentally dissect the perogie than it was to understand Kyle. He chuckled at things that only confused her and she got the distinct impression that he was sort of maybe making fun of himself or her or both of them?

"So you won't look me in the eyes? You don't think I can't keep it in check? Or are you hiding things?"

Noel just didn't get people. One second he is talking about earning her trust and in the next breath he as good as admitted to not trusting her. This all made her settle back into her usual scowl.

"How is this a meal?" Back in the kitchen with their ingredients, she still wasn' sure. But she tried to be helpful all the same. If he needed water, she filled the pan. Finding a spoon? No problemo. These were questions with definite answers. She liked the simplicity of black and white, right or wrong instruction.