The bus approached it's next stop, and Megan couldn't get the grin off her face. People started to stand, those that were too impatient to remain seated until the bus came to a complete stop.

Megan stood also, being one of those types. Why sit and wait when you could stand and bully your way up to the front of the door? She eyed the surroundings outside the windows curiously, one hand holding onto the back of her seat to steady herself. Once the wheels stopped rolling, she headed toward the nearest door, tucking her hands into her pockets as she went.

The sidewalk greeted her feet, and she turned to question Ami, only to come face to face with a very peeved looking kid. Had she been paying any attention at all, she would have probably recognized the scarf around the girls neck. Instead, she simply blinked as the girl pointed a slim finger at her and exclaimed, "Densaugeo!"

Megan blinked at the girl, who speared her with a glare before turning her nose up and stomping off.

One dark eyebrow rose, and she turned a questioning, curious look Ami's way. "... That was weird... So, where's this place at?"

Out, Amelia followed, in Megan's bullying wake. She'd remained seated, of course. Why bother forcing your way out when someone else was all-too-willing to do it for you? They reached the sidewalk and the sun, then turned her attention towards leading Megan to the dojo. Someone else reached them first.

Amelia arched an eyebrow at the scarf girl. Wait. Was that...?

>>"Densaugeo!"

The girl stormed off.

Amelia took a brief moment to recall where she had heard or read that remark. Then blinked again.

"... I think you just got cursed." She commented. Another blink. "Anyways. Follow me."

More leading, yay. It wasn't too far off. A minute or three of walking later, they stopped in front of a simple white concrete building with glass windows and a glass entrance in the front. Its simplicity belied all the detailed butt-falling to be trained within. Amelia held the door open for her ladyfriend, then followed her through the door. They reached the main desk.

A woman with square glasses and a nose ring greeted them with a sloppy smile. "Hey," she said. "Here for the class?" Amelia confirmed with a nod. "Third door on your right down the hall." She pointed.

They went.

Yup. This was what Quin did on her days off. It was something she'd fallen into while taking random classes at this cute little dojo. Sure, she'd been told quite some time ago that there wasn't really anything else she could learn as far as aikido was concerned, but she still liked to take classes every now and then to brush up on her skills. She'd been in one of those classes, when she'd heard mention that they needed someone to teach basics and self-defense.

Needless to say, it was right up Quin's alley. She was excited, and fully confident in her ability to give these people a general idea of what aikido was about. If there was enough interest, she'd continue giving classes and maybe make a part-time job out of this.

People were starting to show up, and if Quin remembered correctly there had been a good turn-out for the optional information meeting a week ago. So there she stood, in work out gear, greeting each person who walked into the room, right down to the teenagers who were just now walking through the door.

"Hi there!" she said, "We'll get started in about 10 minutes, why don't you guys go and get stretched out?"

Cursed?

The twenty five year old blinked, and quickly gave herself a once over. ...Nope, no odd protrusions, buck teeth, or horns. All was well. With a slight shrug, she followed along behind the younger girl, taking a little time to glance around at all of the new sights.

Honestly, she couldn't stop thinking about a certain Karate themed movie, and it was only getting worse and worse the farther they walked. It didn't even matter if it wasn't a proper dojo, she was running over lines in her head before they even got to the receptionist. Megan watched as Ami got them headed in the proper direction, and after watching the girl start to walk away, she bowed stiffly to the employee.

With a puzzled look following her, she scampered after Ami, grinning silently to herself. When the reached their destination, she hung back behind Ami, taking to remaining silent and watching.

"Hi there! We'll get started in about 10 minutes, why don't you guys go and get stretched out?"

Stretched out? Flashbacks to her days in Ballet burbled up, and she suddenly wished she had worn anything other than what she had chosen. Pursing her lips though, she nodded and headed off with Ami to find an open spot among those that had come for the class. "...Is this when we start waxing on and off?" Eying those around her, she stood awkwardly for a few moments, before copying someone else's stretch. When that got boring, she opted to fall back into the old pattern of Dancing stretches. Her muscles complained, as she had neglected to remain active for a good long while, but she managed to keep a strained look off her face.

...if only for composure's sake.

>>"...Is this when we start waxing on and off?"

Amelia laid an amused look on Megan. She laid it on thick. "Waxing nostalgic sounds more fitting." She said.

And with that witty comment said, she dropped into stretches as if she knew exactly what she was doing.

Ten minutes passed and more people flowed in. The dojo had done a good job of advertising this one. Then again, New Yorkers loved anything that was free, and most of them would try anything once. There were all shapes and sizes, genders, fitness levels, and styles of clothing. If nothing else, this was going to be interesting.

"Alright! Let's get started." the redhead said, clapping her hands. "Get yourselves into rows that are as even as possible and make sure you have plenty of room all around you." she waited for the group to do that, then stood in front.

"My name is Quin, and I'm going to be teaching the intro class. If you're expecting to walk out of here tonight, or even at the end of the class and kick someone's ass, you're in the wrong place...Cobra Kai is down the street." Man, she hoped they got the reference.

"Aikido is the way of harmonious spirit." Quin said. "And it's all about using an attacker's force against him. It's always been favored by people who might have been smaller or considered weaker. I've seen a lady who looks like someone's cute Aunt and weights a hundred pounds dripping wet put an attacker who weighed two-fifty on his back. That is why it's so good for self-defense."

The redhead let that sink in before she spoke again, "But again, we won't learn that today. The basics of Aikido are very important because the nature of the art puts you in close proximity to your opponent. So we'll start real simple for the next few sessions, then you can decide if you're interested in more. Questions?"

(OOC – Information on the basic philosophy for Aikido taken from Wikipedia )

She shot a cocky grin back at Ami, and left it at that. With stretching complete, the class gathered once more, instructed by the newly introduced Quin to make space for each other to work. No unexpected accidental punches to the face in this class, no sirree.

Megan's attitude shifted when Quin started to explain what they were here for, and within minutes she was hooked. A form of self defense meant specifically for those physically at a disadvantage. Now, while Megan wasn't one to ever admit that she was weaker than anyone else, and considering that she was taller than normal for a woman and could pack a decent punch, she was readily willing to admit that any knowledge was better than no knowledge at all. If she could learn how to knock someone's teeth out using his own strength against him? Why not! She loved the very idea of that!

The chatter cut down as the class started, and for once the twenty six year old managed to take something seriously. Each step by step instruction was given her full attention, even though she could still hear snarky comments and quotes from movies bouncing around in her mind, she kept her lips zipped. After a while, she didn't even feel like a complete mess either! Quin's method of teaching was perfect for someone like Megan, who had a habit of getting bored and wandering off mid lecture back in high school. This, though... felt right. She was learning something, practicing it with other people, and... surprisingly felt like it was something she'd manage to get good at.

Half way through the class, she'd glanced over to see how Ami was doing, before going back to her own thing. Time just seemed to fly by on it's own accord, and before she knew it the class was over. It left her feeling energized, a little sore from stretching and working muscles that she'd neglected for too long. She was also a teeny bit disappointed that it was over. While other people filed out of the room, chatting among themselves, Megan waited with Ami. Not normally being one for handing out words of praise, she managed as polite thank you for the classes instructor, before following her companion out.

"That... was surprisingly a lot of fun! I'd always imagined classes like that being stuffed full of sweaty old people.."

All throughout the course, Amelia got a weird sense of deja vu, but she couldn't place it. It wasn't like she'd done this before, and it wasn't like she knew all the people in the class, so it wasn't that. Really, she couldn't pin it down. But she didn't have time to, anyways. She was too busy focusing on what the instructor was teaching.

Stretching. Basic stuff. The woman set the ground work for easing them in to the course. All-in-all, Amelia thought she did a great job. After the class was over, Amelia hung back with Megan and thanked the instructor. A simple "Thanks. Good class," then they were out the door.

"Yeah," she agreed. "It was a lot of fun, Megan. We should do it again, some time."

She idly wondered when she'd have time, but decided she would make it.

What way was the stop again? Oh right. Left, and then down this uncrowded street.

Her eyebrow arched. My, but those two men stepping out of the nearby alley did look shifty, didn't they? Their body language seemed aggressive, too. Especially the part when they stepped in front of the two of them, and cut them off.

"Hey." Amelia stated. She looked the big bald guy in the eye, unfazed by him. "You're blocking the way."

She shot a lazy half grin Ami's way, and tucked her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "Consider it a date." Ami really was a ball to be around, what with the way she carried herself and the unique attitude. She could really see why Gawainya had snagged her.

In fact, she'd had a ton of fun today without realizing it... the crazy girl on the bus who spit some kinda curse at her, the adrenaline stil coursing through her from learning something new and exciting. Hell, she even liked whole 'take it slow' vibe, and the energy she had to put into forcing herself to be patient! It was a different kind of feeling... one that she wasn't used to anymore. Being content, and even a little happy, without having to go try and pound someone's face in, or knock some poor schmuck down a peg to make herself feel better.

She could really get used to this kinda thing, even if it was rather alien for her.

Of course, nothing good ever seemed to happen to her without something bad following merrily in it's footsteps. Her attention was quickly captured by the two men that sauntered out of the shadows, straight into their paths. Ami was quick to speak, which was good, because it gave Megan a moment to filter what she wanted to say of the trillions of cuss words that jumped to the tip of her tongue.

"You heard the lady, baldy. Get the hell out of the way." Grinning, she set to work on a nice present for one of the men, if they so chose to make something of the encounter. Silk began building up in her mouth, shoved to the side of one cheek like a hamster just in case she needed to open her yapper and shout at someone.

Baldy swaggered far more than any bald man should, shifting his shoulders and smirking at them. "Now why would I do that, kittens?" He asked. Amelia noted rotten egg breath and a bad British accent. Something that'd slip from 'love' to 'gov'nah' with relative ease. His Irish-looking friend stroked his beard. Or maybe he was Scottish? Who cared.

"Where you two from?" He asked. A smile played at his cheeks. "Look too good to have just stumbled outta bed."

It took her but a moment to realize she was in workout clothes. Yoga pants could look like pajama pants, if you didn't pay all that much attention. And a tank top was something one could sleep in. These guys were run-of-the-mill jerks.

"Leave," she said, unfazed by any of it. "Do yourselves a favor."

Baldy clicked his tongue and shook his head gravely.

"...Kittens? "

Any and all amusement dropped from her expression immediately. These guys were looking for trouble, obviously, and apparently thought picking on two women was a dandy idea. It was a shame she'd left her things at home... like her stun gun, and her knife. Going up against two men with nothing but her fists was.. well, fun, but not as useful.

At least she still felt confident, especially with Ami beside her. Maybe it was that over confidence that spurred her to take a quick step forward, and sent a curled fist toward Baldy's ugly mug.

Maybe, if she'd been thinking, she would have waited a little longer. Used any of the tricks she'd managed to pick up the last few times she'd gotten into fights, to try and figure out the trouble makers a little more, before taking action against them... or something.

Since when had she been one for thinking things through, though? Throwing caution to the wind was always where the most fun came from.

Throwing caution to the wind sometimes failed. Beardy was ready for his partner's response. He calmly placed two hands over his eyes as Baldy's pate shone like the sun. Baldy dodged the attack, as if Megan were standing still. His fist slipped in under her guard to hit her in the gut, as a reply.

Amelia cursed, rubbing her eyes. Frick! She couldn't see! It'd probably take some time to recover, and even then, there'd be those god damned dots. It hurt her head, just thinking about them. She said something uncouth about the quality of Baldy's mother. He took it in stride.

"Now, now, that's not nice. I'll be havin' to teach you some manners~" He cracked his knuckles.

Although they couldn't see it, Beardy materialized a bat out of thin air. It crackled like lightning held into a form. Now and then, a yellow spark would pop off. He patted it against his palm as he approached them darkly.

Gah! Who turned the freakin sun on high!? "@%#$!" Megan was painfully aware of how her fist never hit anything due to the sudden blinding light that had come from... badly, if she wasn't mistaken. She was also painfully away of the fist crashing into her stomach, which forced the air out of her in a hushed, angry curse.

Embarrassment kind of outweighed the immediate annoyance of having been caught with such a dirty tactic, and it only got worse when she realized that he'd hit her hard enough her legs were wobbling. Another muttered curse here and there, and Megan dropped to a knee to nurse her wounded pride. (and her stomach.. oh god, her stomach!) She'd forgotten how much a hit of that nature sucked.

"Now, now, that's not nice. I'll be havin' to teach you some manners~"

%^#@#$!!

Swearing incoherently on the inside, she attempted to get back to her feet, still unable to blink away the wall of white currently replacing the world. She never saw Beardy's bat striking quickly at one exposed thigh. When it hit, it hit with enough force that there would surely be an ugly bruise in no time and she yelped in surprise, dropping back to the sidewalk as a jolt of electricity flew through her. Not knowing how exactly she was supposed to fight back in this situation, she spat her glob of silk in the direction she assumed the attack had come from, and started to shakily pick herself back up again.

Whether it hit anything, she couldn't tell.

It didn't. Or rather. It did. Not the intended target, though. Nope. But it left a nice blob of silk on the brick wall.

Above on a fire escape, someone sighed. Nobody noticed.

Amelia felt fingers tightening in her hair. At some point, she'd lost her footing and gone limp. When had that happened? And why did she hurt all over? What kind of jerks did this?

Lenna knew the types of jerks very well. She made a point not to hire them, when she could avoid it. Although sometimes, simple and terrible was easier to work with than a couple of fellas with brains.

It wasn't a thing, really. She didn't make a habit of being some sort of vigilante, hanging out on fire escapes. Who the hell did that sort of thing? She certainly wasn't wearing a costume. She'd had business. That was all. She'd heard the scuffle breaking out down below a whole minute after concluding her talk with an M dealer. He was long-gone. Wouldn't be around to see her as she descended the fire escape, contemplating what to do.

She certainly wasn't going to let two thugs hurt those young ladies. She hadn't had to think long to realize that.

A hand clamped down on the head of the one who'd spat something, tightening like a vise. The guy with the beard pulled his arm back, bat and all, ready for a home run swing. He swung, and---

Lenna stepped into range. The bat vanished, and he whiffed on air. The bearded man did a double-take. Then, he swore and starting glancing around, dumb.

Baldy set his eyes on her two seconds before Beardy took note.

"Hey. Bitch. Who the hell are you?" He grunted.