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[Ahh, there's a sound he can appreciate. The creak and familiar thud-thud of the bag being worked. Matt remembers it well. Don't mind the man with the blind stick in the doorway, he couldn't bring himself to keep walking. Remembering his dad and his boxing days. Better times.]

Let me guess, the punching bag stole your lunch money when you were at school and now you're getting that revenge you dreamed of?

[If he could see it, the sight might be almost comical, the punching bag nearly as big as its user's tiny little frame. Alex isn't really self-conscious, though, even once he finally realizes he's being watched.]

Sorry, am I hogging this thing? You can get in here if you want. [He eyes the cane with some uncertainty, wondering if that was a dumb question. Surely a blind person is capable of knocking around a punching bag if they want to.]

[Well, someone in a suit and overcoat probably didn't look ready to be working the bag. But then, things were hardly ever what they appeared to be.]

Oh no, no. I hadn't planned on stopping...besides, it sounds like you're winning.

Is it that obvious? [He wipes some sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm. If she weren't there, he'd just use the hem of his shirt, but he catches himself before doing that, as it seems a little uncouth to be exposing his pasty abs to a woman he doesn't know.] I've been waiting years to get the jump on this thing. I think it's learned that crime doesn't pay.

You waiting to use it? I'm done.

Little bit. [Tab held up her finger and thumb a small distance apart before she gave him a crooked smile.] Pretty sure it won't even be able to walk tomorrow so consider revenge well and truly had. What are you going to do now that your life's work has been accomplished?

Ah, no. Not really. Me and boxing aren't on speaking terms. I save the fists for bar fights. Mostly I was enjoying the way the anger worked with my playlist. One of those unintentional soundtrack moments, you know? [She pulled out an ear bud to show him.]

"Oh, aye, you know that punching bag's learned its lesson, now...." Maria couldn't help remarking, at long last giving away the fact that she was watching him in the "Agency's" gym, which just happened to be shared with the whole of the Eastern Seaboard Wizarding School District. She winked slyly at him, as she realised that he had, in fact, noticed her, now she had opened her big, shrill mouth!

[Well, people do all sorts of crazy things. He laughs, wiping off his forehead now that the adrenaline rush is subsiding.]

My performance was just that captivating, huh?

Well, I'm gonna have to keep an eye on it. I hear these things have pretty high rates of recidivism.

[His memories of his own bar brawling days used to be fond ones, though not anymore. He laughs anyway, and raises an eyebrow, intrigued, when she offers the music.]

I can't complain about having a built-in soundtrack when I work out. Makes me feel like Rocky. [He leans in to listen.]

Someone's pisised about something.

You have good speed and timing. That's half the battle in the ring.

Yeah, you're right. Best not to assume that this is the last you've seen of it.

[It's a pretty loose meaning of the term 'bar brawl'. She's more referring to the so-called music critics that get a little too intense after one of her gigs. The day she plays an establishment that doesn't come with its own foul-mouthed and ready to fight reviewer will be a win.

Nine Inch Nails come through the tiny sound system, Trent Reznor chanting about his Survivalism. The song ended before Tab realised and soon her own music was playing. She motioned for the guy to give her ear bud back.]

Ah, hey, yeah... that's a demo - definitely not ready for foreign ears. This is less likely to make you feel like Rocky and more likely to make you feel like Batman if he never went and trained in the mountains and listened to a lot of Cure.

"Has it really, though?" He's in pretty good spirits, having unloaded most of his energy onto the sorely battered punching bag. He certainly can't complain about being allowed to use MACUSA's training facilities--friends with diplomatic connections certainly do come in handy.

He doesn't mind her watching him, finding it amusing and rather flattering, and he saunters over with a smile. "How long have you been standing there?"

Edited 2015-05-14 19:00 (UTC)

I'm pissed about many things. Let's not understate. [It has been a long day.] I mean, I don't want to be one of those assholes talking about the ex-wife like she's Satan, but...she is Satan. [And he will promptly feel guilty about saying that.]

Edited 2015-05-14 19:21 (UTC)

"Oh, not long at all.... Only long enough to see you really show that damned puncher who's boss... " She smirks back at him, and then reaches for his face, in order to kiss him lightly, as a reward for reaching her, without collapsing after giving the punching bag so damned hard a beating, and probably getting a beating in return, of course, considering its size compared to his.

I do? [It's a nice compliment, though surprising, when it's not his usual form of workout, and he hasn't practiced in a while.] I mean, I've never actually been in a ring. It could be fun, but...probably a little late to start now.

I think that title shifts depending on the day, because I know at least one person who deserves it sometimes.

[He listens, nodding along--he can appreciate it, even if he doesn't listen to a lot of NIN on his own, and it's easy to get into it enough that he's not anticipating the ending of it. He'd crack a joke about wanting it on the soundtrack of Rocky 7, but now he's listening to the next one, enjoying it, not immediately making the connection between her speaking voice and the fact that it's her singing.]

Isn't that the premise of The Dark Knight? Hey, whoa, but wait a minute. I was enjoying that. That's you?

No, I know, there are a lot of Satans out there. And she's not, really, she's not. I'm sure your Satan is a lot more, uh, demonic, whoever he is. Or she is.

His name is Shane Worthington, and it's basically his job to be the devil whispering in my ear 14 hours a day.

That's an awfully nice capper to a workout, especially with all the adrenaline and endorphins pumping, and he kisses back just deeply enough that he doesn't have to move in close, because he's pretty sweaty. He'd like to, of course, but for her sake, he'll shower first.

"I'm presuming you liked what you saw?" Or maybe he'll just try to charm her into joining him for that.

Oh, man. That just sounds like an asshole name, too. Don't trust a guy whose name ends with "-ington."

[Laughs.] He's a dick. Technically my boss, but he's a dick.

Oh really, Alex? As if you have to "charm" her into the shower with you... Because of course, she's pretty damned sweaty herself, being that she was in the gym in order to work out. She glanced slyly around her, before wrapping her right leg around his waist, seeing that they were alone in here, after all-- drawing her lover into her embrace, almost hungrily. "Mmm, yes indeed, I did!

"And now: what do you say we make the locker rooms--coed, that is the right word for it...?" She grinned at him, inhaling deeply in order to take in the scent of his sweat, and his coffee breath, too! How could one drink coffee just before a workout? She wasn't too sure, honestly, but-- still, it reminded her of the first time with him, and thus it was a nostalgic scent.

Yeah, it's me. Well, me and Benny. Benny is my drummer. Occasionally he adds a little something to help me feel the beat of a song. I'm just not convinced by this one yet. I feel like some of the words are wrong. You should really come to a gig and see the tried and true songs getting played.

[She managed not to take the ear bud away and let him keep listening to it even if all she was doing was picking it apart. The English accent was even more hidden in her singing voice, and it was a little deeper so she'd forgive him for not making the immediate connection.]

Ha, you're actually pretty funny. I'm surprised they didn't add some Cure references to The Dark Knight.

Well, even if you're not satisfied with the words, I wouldn't change anything else about it. I don't know whether those would be the easiest thing to change, or the hardest. [He appreciates that she's changed her mind and let him hear it, and the praise is sincere, though he's not a music critic, so wouldn't really know what suggestions for improvement to offer.]

Where do you guys play? [He's cautious, not because he wouldn't want to see her perform, but because he doesn't think he could handle a bar or a club. It would be a relapse waiting to happen.]

Being a boss doesn't preclude someone from being a dick. In fact, in most situations, I think that makes it worse. Where do you work that you have to be there 14 hours a day?

Team Penske. I drive in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Shane's my crew chief.

And she does look so nice after a good hard round of exertion, enough to make him all the more eager to dive right into another one. He loves the way she manages to wrap whatever limbs she wants to around him, at any given time, and he slides his arms promptly around her to help hold her right where she is, his palm curving around her leg to keep it there.

"You're a brilliant woman. No wonder they keep you around." He grins, giving her lower lip a little bite of appreciative punctuation. There is no time Alex doesn't consider appropriate for coffee drinking, but he'll freshen up with a quick spell on their way to the locker room to scrub each other down.

"Come with me. If we do get caught, you're gonna be a lot more welcome in the men's locker room than I would be in the ladies'."

Edited 2015-05-15 03:30 (UTC)

Yeah? Maybe outside opinions aren't so bad. Mm, it's just a word here and there. I know what I want to say but I don't think I quite got it right. They are probably the hardest, but hey, I'm a perfectionist. At least about this part of my life. [Her smile grew and she seemed to be watching him a little more closely to make sure he really was enjoying the song.]

Bars, clubs, cafes. Well, it's usually me solo at a cafe. Not like a rock band can fit. We do get to play at the music place I work at now and again. We're past the days of bowling alleys, but not yet stadium worthy.

[That sounds a lot more promising, and he relaxes a bit. He would like to see her sing live, would hate to turn the invite down, and it would be awkward to have to have the 'so yeah, I'm an alcoholic' conversation before he's even learned her name.]

Tell you what. I'll give you my number, you let me know next time you're playing a cafe, and I'll come give you some feedback on the lyrics. Because I'm definitely liking what I'm hearing.

[OOC: Sorry for the slow tags--things were a bit hectic this weekend with my little sister graduating. :)]

[Her eyebrows went up but the grin on her face was hard to argue with. Tab quickly brought up her contacts list and held out her phone for him to enter the number into.]

I'm Tab, by the way. It's always nice to meet someone I can convert into a fan. Actually there's a show coming up. Should be fun. I get to drink my weight in free coffee as well as get paid.

[ooc: totally fine! life first always. my work schedule has been all over the place anyway.]

I'm Alex. See, aren't you glad I didn't let you turn the music off? [He smiles, entering his number and full name into the phone.]

All-you-can-drink free coffee? Now I want to know how I can land a gig like that. I guess I'd just need some actual talent.

Well, sure. Just me being a precious artist. Sometimes it gets in the way of meeting new people. [She took the phone and sent him a quick text so that he'd have her number as well.] Thanks, Alex.

If you're nice I might share. It's not like it's a good idea for me to be drinking that much caffeine. I'm already naturally pretty hyper. Hey, it's never too late to try it out. See what works for you.

Well, it's probably not a good idea for anyone to be drinking a ton of caffeine, but it's never stopped me. I kind of need it in my line of work.

[He laughs.] It's probably best for everyone if I stick to listening. I can be an uninvolved connoisseur.

Oh yeah, and what's that? Could be professional boxer the way you were giving that punching bag a workover but then you don't exactly look like you've got the injuries to match.

[She snorted in amusement before slipping the cord of her earbuds around her neck.] There's always the triangle if you change your mind. I'm sure I can find an excuse to include some in a track.

That would be so much more badass. I almost want to pretend that's my actual job. Thank you. No, I teach high school. And I coach soccer on the side. I'm not saying there's no risk of brain injury there, but y'know.

It's so nice that you'd indulge my dreams of rock-stardom. That's real generosity.

Hey, that's actually pretty cool. I'm impressed. The football--soccer--thing I never had the coordination for. And as for teaching high school... I would not have the patience. Pretty sure I'd be hitting the kids with my guitar and I know that's not allowed.

I'm no Bono but I try.

Thank god. One Bono is already more than enough.

I gotta admit, as much as I love my job, I'm going to be tempted to contract you to come in and do the guitar-beating, because I can't do it myself. I have a couple detention regulars who could use it. Just a very light beating, really.

Now I feel bad just for saying that. [He does love the kids, really. He only very occasionally wants to beat them. Just a little.]

I know! God. Like, don't get me wrong - I actually really enjoy Zooropa and a bit of Pop but the preachy stuff? Leave it at the door.

[She demostrated a practice swing with an air guitar.] Probably not the reputation I'm going for but if it helps you out, more than happy to oblige. Better I get the tarnished record than you.

Hey, hey... [She reached out to pat his shoulder.] ... don't ever feel bad for expressing how you feel in a safe, sweaty and stinky environment. Pretty sure you're allowed to think a little shit is a little shit. And also provide them with a good education.

[It is a pretty sweaty environment, and he's not helping with that, but he doesn't mind if she doesn't. He gives the guitar swing a polite golf clap, holding back a grin.]

You could go for that reputation. It's edgy when musicians do it, but not so much teachers, yeah. I guess you do have to reach a certain level of success before you can afford to smash a guitar. Like, I always wondered how that worked. The visual's cool, but don't you get attached to the guitar? Emotionally?

[She really didn't. It wasn't as if she didn't play with a bunch of sweaty boys so the gym was nothing unusual and she was hardly about to end the conversation if Alex didn't apply some deodarant.

She gave a little curtsy before blowing her fringe out of her eyes.]

I could but as you rightly assume I am more than a little attached to my guitars. I've always just assumed those guys didn't have the same emotional attachment. And had a big enough collection that they could afford the senseless damage. It really does look pretty bloody awesome but a part of me dies on the inside thinking about the guitar death.

Yeah, I don't hang with a lot of musicians, but for the ones I know, their instruments are their babies. I have a buddy who won't let anyone else even breathe on his keyboard. [Which is a shame, as Alex has always wanted to play on it, but he does get Dan's reasoning.]

It's good. Speaks to your character. Guitars need compassion too.

Why am I not surprised? I swear keyboard players are in a league of their own. Not sure I'd call my guitar my baby but it is an extension of me. [She looked wistful for a moment before clearing her throat and offering a sheepish smile.] Okay, maybe it's my baby.

So long as that's settled and you don't think I'm a freak.

Nah. Not at all. [That faraway look is actually really endearing, and the smile becomes contagious.] I'm looking forward to seeing you play it.