| Details for Letting off Some Steam |
| Summary: | Morgana encounters Ulysses while he is punching inantimate objects. Variel joins in while he waits for the Domestic Club to start. |
| Date: | 1939-01-16 |
| Location: | Club Room |
| Related: | — |
| Characters |
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From the sounds of it, it appears that the club room is currently being used by one of the athletic club members. The steady sound of flesh on cloth, along grunts of exertion, makes it clear that someone is burning off his lunch by abusing a punching bag. Uncommon, perhaps, but not unheard of.
The door is open, and Ulysses is said party… currently alone in the club room. He doesn't look particularly wizardly at the moment… stripped down to a simple over-shirt meant to allow the skin to breath, slacks in the scarlet and gold of his House colors to match the shirt, and cloth wrapped around each hand and his bare feet.
His fighting style, if evidenced by how he abuses the punching bag, is a brawler's style, a mixture of punches, kicks, and knee strikes… and if the sheen of sweat covering him is any indication, he's been at it a while.
Morgana isn't in the Athletics club, but she sometimes has some aggression to get out, and she's found that a punching bag has helped. She really isn't dressed for proper brawling, but she doesn't have those sort of things at school usually. Slipping in, she'll set her back down and watch Ulysses for a moment, watching his fighting style. "Sorry, I just thought I'd get a few hits in, but if you're already working on it I can wait." She reaches back to tie her hair out of her face, before she remembers that her hair is now to short to to pull back.
Ulysses doesn't answer at first, muttering slightly as he gets in a few more strikes, as if counting… and then stops… backing away. His breath is hard but controlled… and as he backs away from the bag, he begins running in place… warming down.
Only then does he respond. "You've got good timing. I just finished my set. Holding charm should be good for a little longer, so you shouldn't need a spotter." A head nod in the direction of the bag is offered, "Knock yourself out."
While he finishes up, Morgana does manage to roll up her sleeves, remove her tie and take off her shoes. She just doesn't feel it to be sensible to try and hit things while wearing heeled shoes. "Just as long as you promise not to make fun of my form." Waiting until he is out of the way, she steps up next to the punching bag, and takes a second to steady herself. Her punches are controlled, and someone has obviously shown her how to do it with out hurting herself, but there is no finesse to it. Just sheer punching at an unmoving bag.
As his heart-rate slowly lowers, and he can feel his body reacting to the end of the exertion, Ulysses stops running in place, and begins stretching. "Can't judge what I haven't perfected yet," he offers with a bit of a wry chuckle.
Watching as she begins her work, his head tilts slightly to the side, "Wouldn't have thought the Head Girl would be one for punching things, although I guess with the brats you have to deal with daily I'm not sure I wouldn't have already been expelled for my reaction."
Morgana shrugs her shoulders. "Perfection is madness. You at least thought seem to have a lot of practice in what you are doing." She says, as if it were some sort of mantra she used. "Well, there's the thing about that title. I'm still a girl, I still have to work out aggression and anger. This is usually the safest way." She says, pausing her motions to look at him. "The urge to cast a silencing charm on all of the brats I have is very high. It takes a lot of will power not to do it but I suppose that's why I was put into the position." Morgana still isn't sure on the reasoning.
"You should lead with your hips more.. puts more puwer behind the strike, but uses less effort, hurts the arm less," Ulysses offers, a grin on his face as he finally stops stretching, and goes looking for a towel.
"Five times a week, skipping only Wednesdays and Sundays. Helps dull the pain of all my NEWT courses," without a thought, he begins to clean himself up, hair mussing a bit as he does so. "So why do you stick with it, if it builds up so much in you? This much aggression… must be a little resentment in there for ya."
Morgana works his suggestion over in her head for a bit before she nods, trying out what he offered. "Hrm, that does work better." She observes, continuing on her work while the boy drys off. Shaking her head she'll smirk. "If only I had that sort of time." She says lightly. "I'm just taking a suggestion from a friend, who reminded me that I should occasionally act like a normal student. It's help." Pausing again she'll push some of the hair that is now matting itself to her face. "It's not the job that gets me this frustrated, just balancing it, my NEWTs and a social life. Sometimes it's just easier to punch this, than their faces."
"Time? Who has time?" Ulysses finally finds a nearby box to watch from, chuckling lightly, "Some days it feels as if every moment is compressed with school work, taking care of my brothers and sister, nearly daily owls from Gringott's about this expenditure or that… trust me, I understand."
Currently the club room is set up for athletics, although the only fixture set up is the punching bag, which Morgana is attempting to menace. Ulysses is flush with recent activity, and toweling off.
Variel sticks his head in the door and pauses- he's a member of about half the different clubs, but he's not in Athletics and he seems puzzled. Perhaps he misjudged the time. He throws off a wave as greeting to the students already present nonetheless.
"No one aparently." Morgana says, resuming her punching. She isn't in the club either, but it seems she's doing this just to let off some steam. "I do not have siblings to worry about here, just cousins. Nor do I have the bank owling me, what could they have to bother you about?" Morgana asks, though her head turns as she hears Variel enter. "Weasley." She asys, hitting the bag a few more times. Perhaps he reminded her of one of the reasons she wanted to hit the bag in the first place.
Ulysses blinks at Morgana's question, although a moment later he realizes there's no way she could keep track of every student's life story, "Father died a few years back, and with my stepmother in her current state. I'm executor. And since we don't have any funds coming in, I have to watch the family fortune like a hawk. Which means they report to me every fluctuation that might impact our investments, or whatever fool thing stepmother or the twins or Dora try to spend money on."
At the mention of his Housemate, Ulysses looks toward the door, a smile on his lips, "Oi, Weasley! You lost?"
"I'm exactly where I meant to be, just… not when. I must have lost track of when Domestics was going to meet today." He steps inside and shuts the door. Whatever, the Athletics meeting would cut down on the number of people with whom he had to interact for the moment. Still worth his time. "Rashley, Selwyn- you two seem… cathartic. Catharsistic? … what I'm saying is looks like you're maybe blowing off steam."
Morgana blinks a few times and pushes some hair off of her face. "Well, I can understand where that would get stressful." Morgana did spend many years ignoring everyone, so it's not a surprise to her that she didn't know what was going on with Ulysses' home life. "Are you sure that you don't want another go at it? You sound like you need it more than I do." Nodding to Variel she'll gesture toward the punching bag. "It's better than loosing points for actually punching people in the face."
Ulysses actually laughs at the last bit, "The Head Girl, losing points. That would be the day," He then looks over at Variel, "Nothing official happening here. Not yet. I think domestics isn't at least for another half hour. And yes, catharsis does play a role, sure." A look is given back to Morgana, "I know when to quit. There comes a point when it ceases being helpful, and just becomes pure action, and at that point? It's not doing you any good. Part two will be a two kilo run, while I work on my Charms."
Variel notes Morgana's sudden intensified activity, tilting his head a touch. He's not sure if he's given her cause for frustration or if it's sympathetic. "And yes, it is- also better than getting caught practicing charms outside of a proper study area." Variel grins crookedly, and nods with Ulysses' assessment of the timing. "How are you doing in Charms, anyway, Selwyn?"
Morgana stops what she is doing finaly tired out. It doesn't take much really, especially when she's working on aggression and not trying to hone any skills. "And here I thought I liked to Multi-task." Morgana says to the mention of his run and Charms. "And I'll have you know, that the Head Girl is still able to lose points." She's lost more than she's wanted to this year, but sometimes it's unavoidable. "Though, it can be less satisfying. Than again I have never really punched anyone and I hear that it can hurt."
"Only if you hold the fist wrong," Ulysses definitely had lost points for the very same. Usually involving another student and the mistreatment of one of his siblings. He looks back to Variel thing, "As well as can be expected. I'm doing my best for an E to end out the year… although I've at least locked down the A unless I really bollocks it up. And was that a dig on my sister giving Mads antlers? She /did/ ask for them."
Variel says, "Hm? Oh! Nonono. Your sister is a model little Snifflep… oh, for crying out loud, she's got ME saying it. She's a model little Hufflepuff, I've never once seen her raise her voice at anyone wasn't being a git. She's also… ALMOST insufferably cheerful." Variel says the word with a certain amount of longsuffering affection- it must not bother him THAT much. "No, I was talking about myself. I've been working my rear off on my Charms, and I had a bit of an unscheduled practice someplace I perhaps oughtn't've. No harm done, of course, but it was a mite embarrassing to get barged in on by a Prefect while we were tidying up.""
"I'll keep that in mind should I ever need to punch someone. Thanks Selwyn." Morgana says lightly as she dabs her face with a towel. "If either of you need help, I do tutor. Granted, the Head Boy is better at me with Charms, but that doesn't mean I can't assist. If you really want it that is." She offers, returning to her things and siting down to get her shoes back on.
"Clearly coming from someone who has been subjected to the little dear's attentions," Ulysses states with the slightest chuckle. There's a thoughtful edge to his tone there, but then again, his protectiveness of her especially is almost legendary. A look goes back to Morgana, "I'll certainly consider it… although I should be fine, unless you can bribe the professor into giving me an O."
"I've got a tutor already- your cousin, actually, Rashley. She's an absolute wonder with Charms. I'm confident I'll pass already, and I've been studying with her for only a month. I intend to try for an O, if only to make her tutelage that much more impressive." Variel grins. "And yes- she rather subjected me for quite a while this afternoon. She's got a big heart, your sister."
"She is quite good at them, I'm sure you'll get high marks by the end of the year." Morgana replies before shaking her head to Ulysses. "Sadly, I don't think I have anything to bribe him with. You'll have to do that on your own." Getting to her feet, she'll start heading toward the door. "Thanks for the advice, but I should go get myself cleaned up. I'll see you in class." She offers them both a wave, before slipping out of the room.
Variel says, "Tata, Rashley!"
Ulysses laughs as Morgana sets up to leave, "Well, I guess I'll have my work cut out for me, won't I? Perhaps chocolates would work. I'm sure no one has tried that before." He offers her a wave as she leaves. A look to en to Variel, "Indeed she is… sometimes overly so… but, then again, she wouldn't be my Dora otherwise, would she?" A look, and then he asks, a towel brushing along the back of his neck, "And what did her heart bleed for today, pray tell?"
"Me, I suppose." The topic is a touch uncomfortable for Variel, and it shows- but it doesn't seem to be caused by Ulysses. "We were talking, and she asked me a, ah… extremely odd and remarkably insightful question. She asked me if I was sad, and… I didn't really know what to tell her besides the truth. So, we ended up talking about how to focus on positive things."
"You're in darkness. But then you're in light. The sun still rises every morning." Ulysses practically chants, from memory. From many others, it would almost sound mocking… but not from Lys. "She can never bear to see someone in pain. She will walk out of her way to make someone smile, even a complete stranger, and stick at it until they push her away or she gets that smile."
"She got mine." Variel smiles now, as well, just a bit. "I don't have many people I'd call friends as opposed to acquaintances, but I suspect she probably managed it the fastest." A hand comes up, scrubs through his hair. "Thing I can't quite figure is why she seems so lonely. Girl as friendly as that, seems like she'd have friends everywhere."
Ulysses raises a brow, looking at Variel, although his tone definitely goes a bit cooler. "She is sensitive soul, and too many take advantage of that with her. You'd be surprised how many supposed friends have turned out to be just trying to take from her."
Variel looks, rather than guilty, simply and immediately affronted- and then understanding. "… yeah. Yeah, I can see how that'd happen. It's not as though she's likely to hold it against them…" His lips press tighther together, and he looks towards Uly. "… it must not have been easy watching her go through that over and over."
Ulysses sees the look, and shakes his head, "It isn't an accusation, although I guess there's a bit of a warning there." He grins, "Family means everything to me. It's all I have left. And I won't have any of them hurt… especially Dora. Her heart… is too big. Too open. And yes. It breaks my heart every time I see it happen."
"… alright, well. I won't ask you to trust me, but you can. I've got no intention of seeing someone so caring get abused. I dunno if you remember the Slytherins making life miserable for the bullies what thought it'd be great fun to pick on the scrawny second-year who liked to sew," Variel says, referring to himself, "But it sounds time to pay it forward. I'll keep my eyes open."
Ulysses nods, "I do at that. And," he chuckles, "Trust isn't easily given… but I also have an idea what you've been through recently. At least bits and pieces. Something like that will either break, or hone, a person." He smiles, standing up now, "Just… be worthy of her trust. And watch yourself." Another grin at that.
"I will. I-" Variel tries to put it into words. "… she's the first person I ran into that didn't try to tell me to either forget everything or to hold onto it all tight as I could. She just wanted to see me happy. And… we've barely talked. One of your brothers got the idea I fancied her or something a few years back and saw to it that I was cross enough with them that I forgot I'd wanted to talk to her about something or other. We only really started talking today."
Ulysses listens, getting his things together as he does, and shoots Variel another look over his shoulder, "That can happen. You can imagine that we're all a bit protective of her. It comes with the territory." He grins, "I really should go, however… or I'll have cooled down too much for a good run."
"You enjoy the run, then, Selwyn- I'll start setting up for Domestics, save the others some time. Enjoy your day, eh? We'll see each other another time." Variel offers as the other leaves.