Trust Me Bro, All Natty [Lukas/Meninas]

THE CITY OF LIGHTS
It had taken some time, but Lukas finally felt he was back to where he had been before prison. Fast enough, strong enough, tough enough - then he had to go and lose an arm. Not that it necessarily made him weaker, but it was a lot to adjust to. Above all, he found it limiting, and far from ideal. There was some fortune that it was not his dominant arm, unacknowledged as it was.

"Ungh." Lukas' strain turned verbal, the massive weight he was pushing against budging. A pneumatic machine taking up the majority of the room, massive braces bolting it into the floor. Specialized equipment for specialized members of the Vandenreich, making sure that no one was left without some means of strength training. Struggling to push it back further, sweat fell in rivets from his forehead. A ragged breath, an he'd let off, stepping to the side to avoid being slammed in the face as it fully extended.

The hissing of valves filled Lukas' ears, deafening the heartbeat that suffocated his skull moments prior. A knee hit the floor, and his eyes tightened shut. If a blow can connect, it needs to kill. No more bullshit. No more of these fucking animals surviving. Shuddering lightly, he drew himself to height, sweat trickling towards his eyes. Pulling up on his shirt, the man wiped off his brow, unawares as the training room door opened behind him.

The figure in question was an increasingly familiar one to those who visited the training area often. There wasn’t a day where Meninas skipped out, having made her daily workout a part of her routine. It was second nature and today, she’d planned on testing out another of Ehefra’s programs, one that was apparently meant to increase one’s strength and vitality. Music to the tall Sternritter’s ears and the pink haired woman was more than just a little excited to get started.

Yet, it appeared that the room was already claimed and there was an awkward moment where Meninas thought that perhaps she’d walked in on something that she shouldn’t. The figure in front of her seemed to be struggling a tough with his own regime, using a more old fashioned form of strength training. Given her method had been lifting cars and hay bales back home though, the six footer certainly approved of the older ways and from the looks of it, his method seemed to be working, brutally so.

In the end, she managed to fight off her anxiousness and enter the room fully, knowing that the only way she’d ever get over her own social struggles was by interacting more with her fellow Quincy. She was improving all the time but there was still that annoying awkwardness around strangers that just wouldn’t leave her alone.

“Are you all right?” She asked, instantly regretting her choice of introduction. It probably just came off as either silly or patronising, which wasn’t her intention at all.

THE CITY OF LIGHTS
"Huh?" Lukas turned, a practiced speed that could appear jumpy to the untrained eye. The shirt dropping from his hand as he did, a cold glance as he blinked through the remaining moisture. "Yeah, I'm fine." Gravel chewed under his voice, discomfort caught in his throat. Glancing over his shoulder, he'd grab at a half empty water bottle, nearly emptying it with a loud swallow.

Tightening it shut, he'd drop it back down, an audible crack in his neck with Lukas turning to face the woman. Not a familiar face, that was sure. For the moment, he'd take it as a good sign - the more quincy they had training, the better he felt, regardless of who or why. "I only look like a cripple."

Lukas' tone friendlier, silver gaze meeting Meninas' pink as his nub swiveled up and down in the air. Something an idiot would consider him waving. "Machine's free if you need it. Think I'm done with it for now." The ache in his arm pulsed quietly as he spoke, quietly annoyed at the fabric that bound it shoulder to fingertip.

"Assuming you aren't here to ask me about training." An offhanded comment as he moved to gather the small amount of gear he had brought with him, digging through a duffel bag haphazardly sitting against the wall. He'd be surprised if the word had actually spread that far; a welcome one, at least.

In truth, Meninas was simply relieved that she hadn’t said something stupid and there was a slight relaxing of her broad shoulders as he spoke to her. The Sternritter could quite comfortably fight a more powerful enemy and show barely any fear, yet put her in a room with someone she didn’t know and it was almost a completely different story. It was daft and she was doing her utmost to handle her anxiousness with people but it was a slow process, annoyingly so. Ehefra, Anis and Nanaly were all so chirpy and talkative, which made the more reclusive woman feel almost inadequate at times.

The man before her certainly looked as though he’d seen better days and while Meninas wasn’t the type to make light of such things, it was difficult not to notice. Still, she underestimated noone and assumed that he was more than likely far more formidable than she. After all, Meninas was still a rookie among the Vandenreich and as she’d been taught by Ehefra, there was much still for her to learn. Not every problem could be solved by punching it in the face, unfortunately for the pink haired woman, who kind of wished it could.

When he made an offhand comment regarding training, Meninas felt compelled to answer, her curiosity growing. “If you have any routines or techniques that you’d like to share then I’d appreciate the chance to learn from you. Never know what tricks our enemies are going to pull, after all.” She replied, her Scottish accent as thick as ever. “I’m Meninas, by the way, Meninas McAllon.”

THE CITY OF LIGHTS
Lukas cracked a grin as his back remained turned, agreeable over amused. "You sure don't." His shoulder throbbed at the words. "And if you're here for this, I'll assume you've got enough technique to take care of yourself."

Hoisting his equipment, a breath of relief escaped the man as he turned back to the woman. "Lukas Ätherisch." He attempted to extend a hand, his remaining limb occupied - a silence filling the air for a moment before he realized, shaking his head at self disbelief. Stepping forward, he offered his hand to shake, speaking as he did.

"Still, if you're here, guess I can check." If she'd grab his hand, he'd grip back with force, matching if not escalating whatever the woman exerted. At the same moment, his spiritual pressure would flare, flowing over her in crude mockery of an examination. Silver eyes locked with pink, even his friendly gaze frighteningly intense.

Meninas nodded her head as he introduced himself, not missing the moment of awkwardness he seemed to have due to his missing limb. The Sternritter didn’t comment upon it though, considering it to be rude if she had done so. From his manner and his response to her previous comment, the six foot warrior could take a guess at just what had happened to his arm. He was a regular on the battlefield, that was obvious and Meninas couldn’t actually help but feel rather inspired by that. She had met a few of the Vandenreich so far but he was probably the first to give off…that particular vibe.

Grasping his hand as it was offered, Meninas most definitely felt not only the strength of his grip but the force of his spiritual pressure as well. It was by no means weak and the Sternritter certainly felt the difference between his and her own although that didn’t cause her to become overcome by fear or panic. When it came to fight or flight, she’d had only one of those options embedded into her since she was a child and so, while weaker, her pressure would flare as well.

His gaze was a strange mixture of friendliness and intensity but her expression hardened a touch. When it came to being social, she may have been rather awkward but when faced with a more hostile atmosphere, it was as if she was someone else. He was strong alright but she wasn’t just going to break due to a little pressure.

“You certainly have a strong grip.” She commented simply, her bear paw of a hand still clutched in his. Hardly a witty rebuttal but honest nonetheless.

THE CITY OF LIGHTS
An oppressive touch, soul to soul - dominant as he could be, Lukas drew his pressure back, a solid gauge set in the back of his mind. Capable enough. His attention was more drawn by her strength, a slight nod in approval before letting his own grip loosen.

"There's a reason we have to use crap like that." the quincy's head gestured back towards the machine, a flick of the eyes following it. "I'd expect nothing less from you, showing up here. Answering your question, best I can - unless you want to learn how to fence, or plan on joining Todgestalten? You're probably fine. Hell, probably better than most."

Shrugging his slipping duffle bag back into place, Lukas patted the woman on the shoulder as he stepped to pass her. "Some of the sternritter these days -" An offhanded comment as he stepped further away; "Real worrying." A genuine hint of concern in his voice, easily mistaken for grievance. Lukas had never had much use for either; so they often sounded one and the same.

Without anger, anyways.

Meninas loosened up as he did, pleased that she hadn’t embarrassed herself or at least that was the impression she got from him. There was no doubt that she had work to do in order to match his level but the Sternritter wasn’t overly concerned by that. It just meant that she’d need to put in even more work, which she was more than willing to do. She might not have been the brain of the Vandenreich and she’d be the first to admit that but the pink haired woman had come to think that maybe in terms of being rock solid, well, maybe she was up there when it came to that.

“I appreciate your kind words.” Meninas replied with a small smile. “I know that there is a great deal more that I need to do in order to fulfil my potential but I’ll get there in time.”

She’d have had those words be her last to him but what he mentioned as he turned to leave had the tall Quincy turning as he made his way out. “Is there something wrong with the organisation?” It might not have been her place to ask such a question but she felt the need to nonetheless.

THE CITY OF LIGHTS
Lukas stopped, head tilting back - deciding what all to say, if anything. It was always tricky. Last time he had confided with someone how he thought things were being ran... And he thought he knew her pretty well. The pink-haired stranger? Who knows if she'd even believe what I say.

None of the thoughts were given long, Lukas' voice sullen. "The Vandenreich is slow to act, even slower to react. When you've got hollows showing up and wrecking the stadt, with no plan on how to handle it happening again? No effort to prepare?" A silver tinted glare over his shoulder, cold as it was honest. "You tell me if there's something wrong with that. Me?"

Lukas' head shook, tone turning near a grumble. "I think it's fucking inexcusable. And the sternritter? None of'em I've talked to are concerned enough to do anything. Best they got is half-assed, uncoordinated training." An audible sigh followed, Lukas turning to face Meninas.

"How would you react to a monster on your doorstep? Hide, or fight?"

Maybe she should have bitten his head off in response and given him a tongue lashing about his comments but honestly, Meninas didn’t feel compelled to do so. She listened to every word he spoke, her gaze holding his own without flinching. The blatant truth was that she hadn’t been in the organisation long enough to feel the extreme need to defend it. Meninas was still making up her own mind as to how she felt about the Vandenreich as a whole. Who was she to criticise him for having such a negative opinion? It was his right.

It was impossible for her to know if his viewpoint was the truth or whether it was delusion but she could answer his questions. “It sounds like a recipe for disaster to me and will only end in tragedy or worse. I’m not going to lie. I don’t see many other individuals using these facilities often and it’s rare that I see the same face twice. When I talk to other members of the ‘Reich, sometimes I’m not sure if I’m talking to someone who could actually take a life, Hollow or other. It’s concerning.”

Clenching her bear-like hands into fists, she’d add. “As for me, I’ll use all my strength to take out any threat that happens to be on my doorstep."