lt_safe_house | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Date: April 15th, 2003, afternoon
Status: Public
Setting: The grounds
Summary: Duncan is bored

Duncan was feeling restless. He had planned on taking a few days off, just relaxing, doing nothing at all but eat, sleep and have some fun.

It wasn't working out like that, though.

For one thing, the thought of those winged swordsmen wouldn't leave his head. He had dealt with demons before, so he assumed he shouldn't be too surprised by the idea of angels. Whether or not they were harmless was subject to debate, though.

He had spent part of the day before prowling the town, checking out alternatives to the hotel where he and Joe stayed and found none. He would just have to make do with that somewhat aggressive angel nearby.

The second problem with doing nothing for more than a day was that he was getting bored. He wanted to work out, but the whole town of Lower Tadfield seemed to have not a single dojo. Well, he'd make do with that, too.

Some parts of the hotel were in sole need of renovation. It might be fun to help with the work there sometime. Right now, he was headed outside. The place where the angels had started their fencing match seemed like a good enough place to go through some martial arts patterns. They worked like meditation for him, clearing his mind and helping him reach decisions and sort his thoughts.

He put his sheathed sword on the ground and carefully covered it with his jacket, before launching himself into a complex unarmed combat pattern.

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A light grey kitten with a blue ribbon tied around its neck - loose enough to not chafe, but snug enough that it wouldn't get caught on anything - ran up, pausing at a safe distance before plopping down on its haunches and watching him inquisitively.

Its owner was some distance behind, nibbling on a Snickers bar. It had become a lunchtime routine for Gabriel now; lunch tended to consist of something like Snickers or a granola bar while spending time with the cats, particularly the attention-demanding Earl Grey. Ta-Miu was asleep in his room, preferring to spend the evenings and nights outside, though by dawn he usually woke to find her curled up at the foot of his bed.

Duncan was so absorbed in his drill that he did not notice the approaching cat or man as he fought his invisible opponent.

God, but it felt good, pushing himself to his limits.

He increased his speed a fraction more.

Gabriel's eyes widened as he saw Earl Grey seated in front of a man going through what appeared to be drills. The cat really had no sense of self-preservation.

"Stop!" He jogged over, rewrapping and stuffing the half-eaten chocolate bar in his jeans pocket on the way before scooping up Earl Grey. "I apologise, but my cat's rather curious, you see, and you might have accidentally hit him." It was Duncan McLeod, he noted.

As if to punctuate his point, the young cat mewed plaintively, squirming a little.

Edited 2010-03-11 14:10 (UTC)

Duncan froze in mid-movement.

"Don't ye think th' cat would've been smart enough t' move aside before I hit it?" Duncan asked.

Then he conjured a smile on his face even though he did not appreciate being ripped out of his meditation. "I would've stayed inside, but tehre's no space for this kind of thing there. And The whole town doesn't seem to have a single gym or dojo."

Gabriel shrugged. "This one seems to have little survival instinct."

Lower Tadfield did not seem the sort of place to have such a place, anyway. "The sort of people who would want to use such a place are probably the sort who would be staying here in the Manor anyway, and I imagine Adam has his own reasons for not adding any such training facilities. The grass served us fine the other day, though."

"Well, a man needs to keep up his shape," McLeod noted. "But you're right. The grass is quite fine - at least as long as the weather stays so nice. Who's Adam, though?"

He reached out to see if the cat would allow itself to be scratched by him.

Earl Grey leaned forward in Gabriel's arms eagerly, sniffing the strange man's hand and stretching out his chin to be petted. Gabriel smiled fondly.

"He's friendly, don't worry. My other cat doesn't warm to everyone, though. And Adam is..." He paused. He's the Antichrist and he almost started Armageddon. And now he's trying to stop angels and demons from fighting. "Well, he's sort of in charge of the place, though Mary Hodges does the actual running of the hotel. We abide by his rules."

"What are you, some kind of sect?" Duncan asked, petting the cat.

He was properly loosened up by now, and far from being ready to stop his work-out.

"Why would that Adam have something against people here staying in shape?"

Gabriel laughed. "No, not really. He has nothing against health or soldiers keeping in shape, as far as I know. It's just... a sort of sensitive issue." Well, he'd already seen the angels training. "Angels and demons have been fighting for millennia, and he's trying to change the current state of things. There's nothing wrong with friendly fights, of course; we had a paintball war the other day."

Earl Grey was pressing against Duncan's hand, purring softly.

"Paintball, eh?" Duncan said. "Was Adam that kid watchin' yer friend beat up yet other friend?" He stopped scratching the cat and went through a few moves at reduced speed while talking.

"Yes, he was," Gabriel answered. "Although I wouldn't phrase it quite that way. Michael may be a little brash or rough at times, but he's no bully."

He watched Duncan go through his moves for a few moments, biting his lip. The man would have to find out sooner or later, if he was to stay here. "I'm glad you heeded my message."

"Huh?" Duncan froze. "I didna get any messages from ye. I jus' came because I'd heard it was a nice place t' spend an extended holiday."

He looked at the man from narrowed eyes. "An' ye don't need to be a bully t' be a bad teacher."

"You did get a message from me, Duncan McLeod, but not regarding holiday destinations."

Earl Grey shifted in his arms, and he let the kitten jump out of his arms and proceed to sniff Duncan's feet.

"And he's far from being a bad teacher, too. He's trained almost the entire Heavenly Host, and there's a reason he's the Warrior and their leader. Don't tell him I said so, though," Gabriel grinned. "There's a reason he's a little rough with Aziraphael, which I don't agree with, but he'll train him well."

"Jus' because he's able to beat some drill into recruits and soldiers doesn't make him a good teacher." Duncan insisted. "Tha' boy is no soldier. Besides, learnin' t' fight with fear in yer heart is a sure way t' get yerself killed."

He bent and scooped up the cat. "No sense of self-preservation at all, this one."

"Boy? Aziraphael?" Gabriel stifled a laugh. "He's much older than he looks, and was once a member of the Host before being demoted for something that had nothing to do with his skill. I think he'll surprise you. And I've trained under Michael for a very long time; I have always considered him a good teacher, even if I don't say so."

He shook his head as Earl Grey allowed Duncan to carry him, mewing inquisitively and reached out to bat the man's nose, claws safely sheathed. "None indeed."

"Ye've been sayin' nothin' but," Duncan pointed out. He dropped the cat into Gabriel's arms.

"When ye're living# among immortals, ye notice that some that look young are actually quite grown up. Some stay boys forever, in a way," Duncan observed. "I imagine it's not all tha' differnt fer you. An# I tell ye, tha' boy's no soldier at heart."

The grey cat snuggled into Gabriel's arms, giving a small yawn, and he smiled down at it.

"No, it's not all that different," he responded, amused. "We all look young, but we're far older than you can imagine. And even if he isn't a soldier at heart, he has to be able to defend himself, for various reasons." Gabriel would not risk Beelzebub choosing to ignore Adam's rules and coming after Aziraphael when the others were not around. "I do appreciate your concern, though, and I'm sure he will as well."

"I can imagine a lot," Duncan said. "An' while I certainly agree that anyone should be able to defend himself, there's ways of teaching without humiliatin' the student. Respect is the most important principle in any martial arts, an' it goes both ways."

Gabriel inclined his head. "You have a good point. I suppose I'm just used to Michael; he wouldn't teach Aziraphael if he truly had no respect for him, I think. I'm not too sure about Aziraphael himself, but I can tell you that most, if not all, of our soldiers respect Michael. I do respect your morals, though."

"I've met generals that had their men's respect, and generals that had their men's fear. That one strikes me as the latter," Duncan announced. "I would like to challenge him to a duel, though."

What he had seen of the other's fencing had been good, even though not adapted to his weaker 'training' opponent at all. it would be a challenge, fighting that one.

Gabriel shrugged. "Perhaps some of our other soldiers may arrive, and then you can judge for yourself. I've always thought of him as the former."

He smiled at that. "I'd like to see that, if he does accept."

"Well," McLeod said, gathering up his jacket and sword. "What are we waiting for then? D'you have any idea where he's t' be found?"

"Not right now, but it's easy enough for me to find him." Gabriel turned towards the Manor, trying not to wake the snoozing cat. He could sense Michael's Presence nearby, but it would be easier to find him once he was a little closer to his general location.

"Okay," Duncan said. "Call him. Tell him I'm here, sword an' all."

Gabriel blinked. "Call him? Well, he could probably hear me if I shouted, but it would be disruptive to the others."