[FIC]Friday Night Highjinks [FIN]

[Rorx]

[Friday 26th June 2009]

Friday night and nothing to do, nowhere to go. I guess that's one of the downsides to the end of term, a lot of the students go home, leaving us local ones to wonder who to hang out with. Sod this. Come on Mike, off your arse, there is always the gym for a workout, and then perhaps some reading.

With that thought in mind Tak Fai Pang, or Mike as he was almost universally known outside the family, rolled off his bed and stood up. Catching sight of himself in the mirror he had to admit it was not an impressive sight. At only 5'6" he had little chance of intimidating anyone, and yet his small stature had proven to be a boon with his long standing study of kung fu and gymnastics. To those who knew him well there were some small signs of the change that had occured in him some 18 months ago after he had a visit from his father, a little less body fat, a little more definition in his muscle tone. However, those signs were small given he had already been doing gymnastics for 12 years and had reached the level of state competitons before that meeting had occured. The more extreme changes he generally tried to hide, after all it might cause awkward questions if the guys at the gym noticed him lifting over half a ton for hundreds of reps, and the lifeguards at the pool would probably get concerned with how long he stayed underwater long before he actually needed to come up for air.

Shaking off such thoughts he grabbed his sports bag with its ever ready gymnastics kit, kung fu robes and a clean towel. Pausing by his bedside locker he picks up the old copy of the I Ching that he had inherited from his mother and put it into his bag as he walked out the door.

[Rorx]

Passing through the kitchen of the restaurant, the bag on his shoulder was all the explaination his grandfather needed for where Mike was off to. The old man continued chopping as he called back over his shoulder, "You need to do your share of the work remember Mike. If you are off tonight, you will need to work tomorrow."

Mike kept on moving as he replied, "Sure thing, I'll do all day tomorrow."

Out the back and down an alley put Mike into the main part of Chinatown, and not long after he arrived at his destination, the NU gym. Being out of term time there were few left to use it, but it remaind open for the post-grads and faculty members who would be here through the summer. He soon had one of the halls laid out with the floor pads used by the gymnastics team, but started off working through a series of kata from several different styles of kung fu as a warm up. At least that would be what he would have told anyone who asked. In fact they were the best each style had for insuring the smooth flowing, replenishment and gathering of ones Qi.

Half an hour later he began on his actual gymnastics. Starting nice and easy with a series of flip flops diagonally across the mat he turned it at the end into continuous cartwheels around the perimeter of the matted area several times. After running through the routine that had recently been so successful for him at the Statewide competition he checked the room was empty and locked the doors to insure himself some privacy. Then he really let loose, using his Epic fuelled abilities to there best in the space he had available. Flipping high into the air he did multiple somersaults before landing into rolls along the ground for a short distance before launching himself up to the ceiling. He continued this work out for another half an hour before unlocking the doors and reverting to his kung fu katas for another hour, each performed with unearthly precision.

He grabbed a quick shower then headed out, intending to eat and study his mothers copy of the I Ching at a late night restaurant. By now it was after eleven and there were a few people either on there way to the clubs or coming back from pubs on the streets as he headed across the common on his skateboard. Turning down a slight slope towards a wooded area he head a female shout ahead that was quickly cut off.

[Rorx]

That did not sound like an 'I'm having a fun time' kind of shout. Better see what I can do to help I guess - damel in distress and all that.

Continuing down the slope and taking a branch into a deeper part of the copse of trees, Mike could make out the low sounds of more talking and/or struggling. However, before he could reach them he heard a scuffle, and a hummff sound followed by, "I'll get you for that bitch." With that Mike stopped his board at the edge of the path beside a bench, and leaving his bag there as well, he headed quickly for the sounds. Thanks to the blood of his deity ancestors he was able to make it through the underbrush both quickly and fairly quietly, so it was a surprise to the those in the small clearing within the trees when he burst through into their midst.

The three guys there had clearly been drinking, despite most of them looking to be underage, and the woman they had cornered was unfortunately know to Mike. She was another member of the Uni gymnastics team, a 2nd year called Anne Carter who specialised on the Asymmetic bars. Although the light from a nearby lamppost was dim an broken up by the trees, there was still enough to tell that two of the men looked to be brothers. One had clearly taken a kick to the balls, by the way he was crouched over, and the other brother had started to unbuckle his belt when Mike had arrived on the scene.

Mike pulled himself up to his full 5'6", but also into the subtle and centred key stance from the Wu Shu he studied as the earlist of his martial arts, "Hi guys, I think it might be best if you let go of my colleague Anne there. Let her gather her things and leave now, and perhaps we won't be mentioning it to the police."

The three seemed to look at each other, and two brothers straightend themselves and their clothes out before the one who had been undoing his belt said to Mike, in a tone that was meant to be threatening, "Piss off short stop, this is nothing to do with you. You forget you ever saw this or we'll be breaking you next time."

Mike shakes his head at their responce, "See, there was no need for that. Now I'm going to have to break your faces and bring you in to the police where Anne can file charges for indecent assault at the very least. Come on then, give it your best shot."

The two brothers rushed him, but could only come at him one at a time so each recieved a punch to the gut as he stepped out of their way. One stumbled on the underbrush and fell against a tree, but the other soon turned back to have another go at Mike. Mike waited for him to close in, listening and glancing to see what the third guy did, but he seemed content to just try to hold on to Anne while this two on one resolved itself. Once the guy got into range Mike caught him with a snap kick, knocking him back in to his still recovering brother, then turned towards the one still holding Anne.

Seeing Mike heading towards him the third one simply pushed Anne towards him and ran off into the dark and the trees, tripping and banging into trees as he went. Helping Anne back up onto her feet Mike looks back to see the two brothers heading off as well.

"Well, Anne, are you injured? Do you want me to take you over to the Emergency Room?"

"No...No, I think'll be ok, Mike," she said as she brushed herself down and looked around for her bag etc, "but I'd appreciate an escort home."

"Yeah, no trouble. Lets just grab my stuff I left over here and we'll go. What happend then Anne, if you want to talk about it, that is."

[Ouroboros]

1 exp