(open) i made a fist and not a plan

[hoody]

Date & Time: Starting Jan. 1st, but practically every morning (You can specify if timelines are important.)
Location: Near a forest on the city outskirts
Character(s): Annie Leonhardt, Eren Jaeger, and YOU?!
Summary: There's a short, slightly intimidating girl apparently training on the outskirts of town nearly every morning. Sometimes there's a kid with angry eyebrows training with her. Dare you approach? (Multiple prompts; one is closed, the rest are open!)
Warnings: Viol...ence? Will update if/when necessary.

A. (closed to eren)

She had been working off-and-on on the training space since they had returned back planetside. She had considered taking over a place indoors, but none of the buildings she found suited her, and she was far more used to working outside anyway. The cold was bothersome, of course, but there was nothing to be done about that. A few weeks later and it's mostly done—the snow of a loose circular area has been packed down to a floor, half of it bare with the other half hosting four make-shift 'punching bags.' In truth, they were each tall segments of a fallen pine tree that she had stripped the branches from and wrapped what looks like some kind of bedding. Hey, they're at the very least functional.

She'd left when the sun had started to rise, so now it's peeking over the treeline. The snow makes it brighter than normal; Annie narrows her eyes against the glare, though she's grateful for the warmth of the sunlight. It helps distract her from the temperature, buzzing on the surface of her skin. She shifts slightly, shoulders drawn up and hands stuffed in her pockets against the cold. She'd given the time and place to Eren, so all she has to do now is wait.

B. (open)

Off in the distance, in the aforementioned make-shift training area, you can see two figures fighting. They seem to be a messy-haired boy fighting a small blonde girl. Huh.

Well, from what you can see, either that boy is an utter trainwreck at fighting, or that girl is dynamite. Or both. He's just thrown a punch, which she dodged easily enough before throwing him bodily over her shoulder and onto the snow. Ouch, that had to hurt. Maybe you should approach and see what's going on?

C. (also open)

All the other mornings, there's just Annie training. When she doesn't have someone to beat up spar with, she's training on one of those make-shift punching bags. She's very quick on her feet, circling the target and striking with speed, strength, and efficiency. It's possible she doesn't notice your approach, especially if you do so from behind her; she tends to get a little absorbed in her training.

Comments

[hoody]

[The girl takes no time in gasping and skittering away at the sound of Annie's voice. Her expression deepens into a frown. She's wondering why on earth the Initiative would draft such a young girl into their war. Did they have any control over who they drug through space and time at all?

Annie doesn't move even as the girl peeks out at her. Training, huh? Right. Well, if the girl wants to hide behind the tree and punch splinters into her knuckles, she was free to do it.] Hmph. [So be it. Annie turns and begins walking back towards her training area. She's several paces away, though, when she hesitates, looks back over her shoulder.] You could come train over here. That's why I set up more than one target.

[If she refused, it wasn't really of any consequence to Annie. She might as well offer, though, while she had the small stand of targets available.]

[redsea]

[ The offer startles Kougyoku, who was attempting to take a splinter out of her skin. She didn't even expect the girl to talk to her. That's partly why she was hiding! Her hands are clasped over her chest, afraid that the girl might hear her heart. When it came to fighting with fists, Kougyoku had no knowledge or experience. No one would let the princess train in such a boorish manner of combat, so it was all alien to her.

But in Exsilium, she wished to learn.

Kougyoku emerges from her hiding place and places herself before one of the targets with reluctance, adjusting her position with the smallest of steps to stall for time. Although she took Annie's offer, standing where she could see how she paled in comparison to Annie made her fidget and bite her lip. There was no way she could do this without knowing a thing about throwing a punch. Before the blond girl could go back to her daily regimen, Kougyoku speaks up, hands clenched into fists. ]

... I lied. I do not know hand-to-hand combat. I, I was only watching you.

[ The last part is spoken hesitantly, quietly. ]

[hoody]

[Annie hadn't really expected herself to speak to the strange girl, but she had. She had had it in mind, while making the training area, that it would be for more than just herself. If they were all soldiers in this war, she might have to offer to train others—or at least offer her equipment, as she was now.

She makes a point to not look at the girl as she approaches one of the targets—this was no formal training, and she didn't want to make it seem like that. She's lifted her hands to either side of her face, prepared to go back to practicing, when the girl speaks up. Annie glances over to her, lowering her hands. Her eyes are a little less harsh than usual when she does so, and she replies with a quiet,] I see. [She had guessed as much, considering how she had punched a tree on accident, but Annie wouldn't say as much.

She looks back to the target in front of her for a moment before she continues,] Do you want me to teach you?

[redsea]

[ Kougyoku faces the other direction like a kneejerk reaction. ]

Oh, but I do not wish to intrude—

[ She says it partly as a courtesy, mostly because she's shy. Even so, she realizes that there aren't many people who would give an opportunity like this. Might as well take it. There's a pause before she looks behind her, turns around and speaks up again. ]

Will you really?

[ She's hopeful the girl won't retract her offer. ]

[hoody]

[Annie's not used to these types of courtesies, shyness, and the like. She's already accepted the refusal and is looking back to her own target when the girl thinks better of her hasty refusal. Annie looks back to her, slowly, still considering. Could she even teach the girl? The only 'teaching' she had ever done was training with Eren, and he had often turned into the barracks with bloody noses and bruises. This wouldn't be the same as that, of course, but—

Part of her fears she might emulate too much her father.

Still. She had already offered. She takes a slow breath before asking,] Will you be able to follow instruction without complaint? [Annie wouldn't push her too hard, but she didn't have the patience for anyone who would shirk her help after offering. It was one of the reasons why her training with Eren worked out as well as it did; he was just bone-headed enough to get up every time she knocked him down and come back for more.]