Cooking and Fighting are the same!

Mirja had sent out an annoucement to Combat Squad, and practically everyone else in the Seretei as well, to come down to the barracks and behold her and her awesome glory. Not that she actually put that in the message, it was more an invitation to combat training with free food afterwards, but it was the same sort of thing in her eyes. It was not Meglomania if it was earned. Still, she was curious as to how many people actually came down to meet her and learn some insight into punching things. Maybe nobody, and she would just be sat here waiting....

Still, that was a morbid thought pattern, and so she put it out of her head and looked towards the idea that someone would be coming, and she would wow them with her skill and tantalize their tastebuds with her food. That was her goal, and she would not let any negetive emotion detract from it. If there was anything negetive, it would be punched in it's negetive face and sent home without any food.

Steven headed toward the combat division having learned of the announcement that had been sent out to just about everybody. Somebody was offering training time and free food to follow it up. Maybe some people would show up just for the food but he didn't care that much about it. He was always trying to improve himself and get stronger. He wanted to someday advance higher in the ranks so he wanted to go for the training. The chance to regain his strength with food after it was over was just a bonus added on as he saw it. He wondered if anybody else would have shown up already and as he approached where the notice had said to meet he saw only one other person who was probably the person that had sent out the notice. It was rare that he was the first person anywhere since he was lost in thought and didn't get going on time.

As he looked over the female that was waiting he tried to judge what kind of fighting style she would use. She was taller then he was and didn't look particularly buff. He was curious by the bright color of her hair but didn't linger on that long. His first judgment of her was that she was likely fast and would use that to her advantage. Beyond that he didn't feel comfortable judging her abilities since it was surprisingly easy to hide where somebodies true strength lied. It wasn't uncommon for somebody to make you think that their strongest area was a weakness. Then when you tried to take advantage WHAM they hit you hard seemingly out of nowhere. He didn't like taking risks like that so he saved his judgment until he knew for sure what to expect out of her. Always expect the unexpected.

Steven approached a serious look on his face. Not that he was trying to be rude or unfriendly there was usually a serious look on his face it was just the way he was. "Hello are you the one that sent out the announcement?" he would ask trying to be kind. "I'm Steven." he wondered if she would be willing to get started right away or if he would have to wait for other people to show up if they were going to.

Mirja fortunately did not have to wait to long for osmeone to come to her and ask if she had sent out the announcement. It was nice that she wasn't just totally ignored, so she nodded at the question, giving him a smile as her pink hair was strangely still in the breeze, bunched together with a purple hairband, giving it the look of ordered chaos. Like everything in Mirja's life, really.

"I am. Mirja Eeola, Lieutenant of the Combat Squad. Have you come to have lessons? Or did you just think you could come for some unsanctioned brawl because that is all we are good for?" She asked him. The idea of people cheating for her food didn't even enter her mind. Her silver eyes stared as she asked the question, boring deep into his skull and metaphorically spilling out his grey matter. Not that she couldn't do something like that physically if she cared to, but metaphorics were always much more fun. They left less mess to clean up afterwards.

He was a little taken aback by her second question since it seemed a little bit aggresive like she was defending the reputation of the combat squad. He had never once thought that about them. He knew they were good fighters, everybody knew that. They had to be it was literally their job. But he had never once thought that they were only good for fighting uncontrollably. He respected their ability and potential. As long as their members stayed true to the gotei and what they stood for he didn't have a problem with them.....or really anybody within the organization. He might not warm up to others very often but that was true with anybody really not just people in the other divisions of the gotei.

He himself cared nothing for unsanctioned brawling as she had put it. Not only did that imply that they would be doing something wrong, unsanctioned activities were technically against the rules, but that this would be nothing more then a pointless and unproductive fight between them. "I am not a brawler this was advertised as a training session wasn't it? Why would I be here for anything else?" He looked into her eyes almost as if she was searching for the answers in his head. Many would likely look way not able to stand that gaze but he didn't put stock in such things and ignored it staring back.

Mirja nodded as he came for training, not wanting anything else. And she could see he was actually meaning it by holding her gaze. No liar could hold a gaze like this. So she smirked and took a few steps towards him.
"Good. You pass. A few people even now thing we are all just idiots and have no understanding of anything beyond a barbaric understanding of hitting things. I'll admit we do have those kind of people in the division, but it's not all of us" She then got in front of him, and her grin broadened. "So, how good is your Hakuda? Any special style, or just general hitting people?"

He looked up at her. She had asked about his Hakuda.......it had to be hakuda. In his life he had learned a great many fighting styles using a large number of weapons but he hadn't gotten very much training in Hakuda. He could be considered a weapon expert and rarely if ever relied on hand to hand style combat. This actually made him smile. Her asking about it likely meant that was her specialty which meant this training of hers would likely revolve around Hakuda. That meant that he would be able to get in some good practice and overcome a potential weakness of his. That was always a good thing to do. If he wanted to get stronger he knew he would have to systematically find and overcome his own weaknesses and this was one of his most obvious.

"I actually don't have that much practice in Hakuda so I have a lot of room to grow there. Overall I try to be an adaptive fighter." he would say wondering if she would have any idea just how literal he was being with that last statement.

Mirja nodded, and then looked at his arms for a few moments. But, she really needed something proper. Some first hand experience of muscles and the very way he threw a punch, regardless of how experienced. It would grant her great insight. And so, after listening to him, she spoke up.
"Ok. First things first, I want you to punch me in the face" She announced, seemingly out of the blue, and a very strange request to boot.

He saw her look him over she was judging him as he had already judged her trying to take in his ability. He also saw that while looking somebody over could give a little insight it was best not to assume to much based on what you see. She wasn't willing to decide upon his abilities as simply as that. She wanted him to show her what he could do. What he was capable of. Though her request for him to hit her in the face seemed an odd choice to judge his abilities on. He knew everybody was unique and figured this was simply the kind of person that she was.

He would comply with her request doing this her way. She wanted to hold a lesson so she was the teacher after all. He bent his knees preparing himself. "Alright then if that's what you want." He would use his bent knees to spring forward closing the distance that remained between them as they were talking. He twisted his torso as he moved forward so he could get the weight and momentum of his entire torso behind the hit figuring even at his full strength she could probably take the hit with ease.

Mirja watched him come in for the hit, and realized he wasn't that bad at this. Spring from the knees, twist in the torso, drive fist through the opponent rather than punching at them. Aside from some actual techniques and some sharpening of movement, she couldn't see where he needed improvement. It must have just been the regular downplayment of his skills that caused him to think he wasn't good at it.

The actual hit was a good hit as well. It didn't quite break her nose, but she did start bleeding from it. Guy would probably break a knuckle from hitting something as solid as her face that hard. Her eyes started to water from the shot, and she cupped her nose.
"Ow...you are pretty good at the whole punching thing. Really, there is very little that can actually be taught to you"

Steven felt the force of the hit in his hand a knuckle cracking under the force of it. It wasn't anything horrible but still hurt a bit. Still he had given her a bloody nose and that counted for something. But as that was probably as strong as he could have hit her and it did that little he wasn't overly impressed with himself. She might say he was good but that was simply because he knew the basics hitting things and he was good at adapting basic principles to new methods of fighting. Being good at the basics didn't encourage him.

"Punching is simple the basics still apply. Using it in combat is something else entirely. Be honest if you hadn't let me hit you that blow would have never landed." He had a good idea that he was right about that. Surely she would have been skilled enough to dodge and then hit him instead since he hadn't really left himself a way out of his own attack. He still had plenty to learn.