Chiron Academy

Chapter 29.2 Findings and Leavings

Amy's leg slammed into the heaving boxing bag, the sound of it echoing throughout the room. Wyatt, who had the misfortune to be the one holding the bag, let out a grunt as he tried his best to keep the bag steady. It looked like she was getting some real power out of her kicks today. This was not the first kick that had made him struggle to keep his balance.

Then again, maybe that was just the greater power kicks could give you. Maybe Wyatt should be more into kicks. He was from a more boxing-oriented background where kicks were very much not part of the curriculum. It seemed easier when he started to stick with the smaller skillset of punching and get good at that first. It had been helpful, but by the time he got his feet under him, he never seemed to have the time or inclination to learn kicks. He hadn't dared to go to any boxing or martial art schools for more than a few weeks in case they discovered he was Flyerman. He thought he could probably ask Achilles to teach him kicks but the man was about as solid as playdough that had been left out in the rain. 

Perhaps he could convince Amy would show him how to get started some night after dinner. Now that his probation was official, he would have a lot more free evenings stuck at the school anyway. And this way, it would be just he and Amy, alone in the gym...

Amy's leg crashed into the bag with so much force the bag almost pushed him over. Luckily, the grip of his shoes just kept him in contact with the concrete floor beneath them.

"Careful, Amy," he said, righting himself. "Keep kicking that much force and next time you'll break your leg on the bag."

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to? I have unbreakable skin. The bag will break before I will."

As if to prove her point, she pulled her leg back and made a show of pulling back into an even stronger kick. Luckily Wyatt was ready this time, leaning forward into the bag.

"It's not your skin I'm worried about. It's your bones. It won't do you much good to have rock-hard skin if it's draped over a shattered femur. "

Amy laughed.

"How about you let me worry about my bones? This isn't my first rodeo. I've already toughened them up with calcium and spite. I'll have you know, I get compliments about my shin bones alone regularly. Everyone says they are my best feature."

"Name one person who has ever actually said that to you."

She squinted her eyes into small slits.

"Many plural of people," she said slowly. "Too many to count."

Wyatt thought about rolling his eyes, but the sheer confidence in her ridiculous defense instead just brought a smile to his face.

"Amy," Sally chimed in. "Can you teach me to kick like that?"

Wyatt grimaced. He had briefly been able to forget that Sally was there.

"I can," Amy said without skipping a beat. "But I think I need to keep some skills a secret from you just in case we ever fight. I don't want to get entirely overrun by you. You are a very intimidating figure, you know."

It was one of the rare days that Wyatt and Amy's squads were signed up for gym with Achilles together. They were easily the best the days Wyatt had at school, the few bright gems in the pile of dirt and sadness that was this school. Even luckier, today was a free gym and they could do whatever activities they wanted as long as they actually did something. Unfortunately, it meant that Wyatt's squad was free to crash. Luckily, Amy didn't seem to mind, but Wyatt had wondered how Squad 12 would react to his friend.

Which felt a bit silly now. Mariah was already Amy's roommate so she seemed pretty used to being a quiet tagalong to Amy.  and Sally, to Wyatt's surprise, seemed enthralled by Amy as a child might an older cousin or a cool babysitter. It made sense to Wyatt: he'd always thought that Amy was cool so it made sense that they would too.