Abel crossed his arms, staring at the fresh and new recruits (for this area) from across the yard. Among them half were slacking off, a quarter looked scared out of their wits and the rest were a mix of excited or proud. He smiled to himself slightly. These were much better than the last batch. Most of the time you'd be lucky to have just one who looked like he was happy to be there! In a good mood now as he watched the trainer try to get them all to do an excessive amount of push ups, he decided he would begin his morning exercise as well.

Abel, a chaotic and freegoing soul, was not really one to have a routine. Exercise was an exception. Not only was it good for his goals and his job but it also kept the higher ups off his back - at least he was following ONE of their instructions. He wandered down towards the training building, thinking of the other benefits of traning. It certainly made him live longer and was no doubt an asset when it came to his interactions with women. But was it really worth the routine? There were upsides but it wasn't nice having to do it every goddamn morning, minus the rest days they all took twice a week. Abel failed to realize that he went through this exact train of thought every time he was about to do this. Nothing changed then, nothing changed now. He changed into his training clothes (a tight tank top and longish, baggy shorts) and made his way into whatever mess of equipment the Rune Knights generously called a gym.

Of course this was far from their main headquarters or anything but Abel would have hoped that for such a major city Magnolia would have at least a bit more. Unfortunately what they had was only about as impressive as any of the gyms in the city of Magnolia itself - not that it was horrible, but he would have certainly expected better for the main force of the law in Fiore. Perhaps all that bribe money wasn't being used effectively. Sighing, he decided he'd leave his internal jabs at the organization for later and changed into his gym clothing. He went for simple and effective, a somewhat tight t-shirt and a basic pair of shorts. Best to leave the dressing up for later. And so Abel's eyes scanned the gym, looking to decide which machine to take on first. It was a tough choice to make - which one had a crowd? Which were in use? Which looked like they hadn't been cleaned for a month? Which were beside people he'd prefer to stare at for motivation? Choices, choices...

Among the many faces in the gym one caught his attention, the one of the blonde elven woman who seemed to be scanning the room in a similar way to him. There was a sort of cold intelligence to her, an air that she was more concious than the rest of him. Of course that wasn't how Abel NOTICED her or anything. No, that would be her rather eye-grabbing outfit combined with the extremely eye-grabbing yoga poses. But he was only paying attention to her now for her implied intelligence. No, seriously.

The yoga mats were not far from a sort of mana testing device - one would exude their mana into two bars, then the machine would refill their spent mana soon after. It was meant to help people with their control over their mana, with the device requiring those who used it to output only certain amounts. It was useful to know where those thresholds were. Abel placed both hands on it, side eyeing the nearby woman. She was within speaking distance now. Why not give it a try? "You eyeing the new recruits too, huh?" He asked her, though it was really only a guess. "Are you like me, worrying a little for their next few months? Or did you simply find one that looked handsome?" He teased, his breath slightly held while he pumped mana through the bars. "Either way you're certainly distracting them. Might want to temporarily switch your pose lineup while these young, hot-blooded types are around." He was only able to barely hang onto those last words before he felt that deep exhaustion that this machine sometimes caused. He tried his best to not show it but everyone did just a little.

After a few moments the mana started to come back to him. "Name's Abel." He said, turning back to the machine and exhaling deeply. This thing wasn't easy. He leaned against the device for a quick rest, though his real reason was to talk to the lady. "You've the look of someone who's been around even longer than I am. Do I know you, by any chance?" She had the look of someone who would be relatively well known - no national celebrity or anything, but certainly someone who people would talk about within the Rune Knights.

Captain Atani Tathvir... didn't quite ring a bell, though the woman did seem familiar still. Or perhaps it was simply the aura of a person who you though would be familiar - like seeing a well dressed, sturdy looking old man on the street and instinctively believing him to be a general or politician. "As it happens to be I'm not one for titles either - a frequent source of trouble for myself. Nice to meet you, Atani." Abel leaned forward and grasped her hand in a casual, non-commital way that further expressed his laxness. "My name's Abel Klein. Don't ask me my rank - got demoted here and there, just on my way back up the ladder." It was rather embarassing to admit but better to state outright - she also looked like a rulebreaker, so he was sure she'd understand. Then again, she seemed like the type that broke rules in an elegant way.

"I was too." He said, pulling his eyes away from Atani and back towards the rest of the people in the gym. "I see a few around with the most important charecteristic of all, though. Determination." Abel pointed his finger around at a few people in the room - 3 young men, all seperated in different parts of the gym. "Those 3. Can't really tell you why though, just a gut feeling. But that feeling is never wrong. You wanna go test someone out, it's them." He turned back to the captain, amused with a thought he had just had. "Unless you'd rather test me, hm? I'm technically the same rank as them, even if my experience is much different." He supposed it was possible she wasn't actually looking to test someone at all and was simply just curious. "Looking for some sort of trainee to take under your wing?" He asked her, trying to clarify her intentions behind all the staring around the room.

"A partner? Abel's eyebrow rose like a mountain, instantly grabbed by the idea. He was always one to enjoy the idea of partnership. The problem? It usually ended with a series of endless dissapointments. Or a big slip-up. Or a fight. Usually all three. But this woman could be a pretty good partner to him - she already had the air of being able to think outside of the rules and wasn't stuffy with formalities. She also had other strengths of note. You know what. "I certainly wouldn't say no if you were to nominate me - though I suppose you barely know me, eh?"

As for my reasons for looking..." Abel stepped forward from his previous spot on the machine's side, standing up straight. "The companionship of an open mind, I suppose? I kind of like talking to the newer ones - they're not so stuffy and uptight. Not to mention they're not obssessed with furthering their rank yet. I'm sure you know how those types can be." He smiled over at her. "You're kind of the opposite of that, I can tell."

An idea came to mind all of a sudden. If he wanted to explore this idea Atani had about a partner then perhaps he should put it to the test. "Hold on. I have an idea." He turned to face her now, looking down on the comparitively short woman - perhaps the only area where he beat her out in something. "You said you wanted a partner, yeah? How about we run some quick tests, since we're both so bored? See if we're a good mix."

Abel's mind worked in a rather quick and decisive way: he had already figured out exactly what he wanted them to do before Atani had even finished her sentence. He also barely registered what she said, having been confident she would say yes either way. "Way I see it there's 5 major pillars of a partnership." Abel held out his first finger on his right palm. "First one's trust, obviously." His second finger sprung up. "Then there's chemistry. I'm not going to work with you if our conversations are as dull as stone." His third finger sprung up afterwards. "Next is diversity. We can't be too similar or we'd just have two Abels running around. Recipe for disaster." The next finger sprung up in a nearly identical fashion to the rest. "Fourth comes communication. We gotta know what the other is thinking, sometimes while saying little. And finally..." Abel's fifth finger finally formed his complete palm. "Fifth is comfortability. We gotta get into some embarassing situation and learn to let it slide over."

In Abel's mind this would not only allow him to see the woman in a number of situations it would also give him the perfect excuse to spend a good while of time with her today - he had to admit that his interests in her went a bit beyond the professional. "Let's get started right away." He told her, eyeing her with a little bit of inquisitiveness - could she pick up on it yet? Or was she just the type who was oblivious to what she did to people?

Now that the pentafecta of partnership was laid out on the table Abel spent no time getting into the action. He walked his way over to where Atani's mat was and stood just behind it. He put his arms out and slightly bent his legs, a determined look in his eyes. "Trust is easy enough to test, no? Come on, jump into my arms." He winked at her, then went back to being at least somewhat serious a moment later. "Backwards, of course. Then the same for me right after."

Abel had been a little bit surprised by the red blush on Atani's face. This was a rather simple test, was it not? Or was the captain simply the type to get flustered easily? The idea brough a smile onto Abel's face, this time more mischevious. "She'll be fun to tease, this one..." He thought to himself, letting her work up the courage on her own while he enjoyed seeing the slight tenses in her face while she made her way into the decision. He contemplated, using a wide variety of mathematical theories and formulas, how he might manage to catch her in a certain way of his choosing without it being conspicuous. Unfortunately he was unable to find a solution to this dilemma and settled on catching her normally.

"People do this all the time. Relax." He told her, having done similar tests a few times himself. "Stop looking around!" His voice was amused and humorous, as though he was joking around with a friend. "If people are staring at you it's for flattering reasons. Now c'mon." He happened to be staring at her for flattering reasons at that very moment so the words came out as extra-genuine.

At long last Atani did indeed fall into his arms and Abel managed to catch her easily and securely. It wasn't much of a challenge given their size different. "You're actually lighter than I thought." Abel commented as he held her with his arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders, making sure she felt secure once the shock wore off. "Nice job. Wasn't so hard, no?" He asked. He admittedly kept the hold a little bit longer than he had to. Her strong, wise look had a nice contrast to her thin, feather-like body. "Just let me know when you want me to let go~" He teased her, before waiting only a second or two and then moving her back up onto her feet. "Kidding, kidding." Abel said, hoping to see her face in full redness when he got her back on her feet.

_____

"Now it's my turn." He said after a little while of letting her calm down. He turned his own back to her, then twisted his neck so he could talk to her before he fell. "And yes, I know I'm a man who's much taller and heavier than a fine lady like you - you'll have to do it either way. Our work isn't always fair, right?" He said in a way that might make him seem rational. His face however only showed his more mischevious side. "Looking forward to seeing how you adapt to this, partner. Let me know when you're ready."

And when Atani was ready he would fall backwards, his eyes open.

"Oh, wow!" Abel said, his tone light and comedic. "My head isn't smahed in - surprising." The idea that the girl had to basically stop him like a rolling boulder was both amusing and a little enfliting to him - no pun intended. "That's all muscle you're lifting. You'll see most of it in time, if this works out." He commented, sure that it would once again solicit the exact reactions he wanted. He stretched his back a little, turning back to face his new trial-partner. "Alright, next up - last one we can probably do in the gym, actually - communication. But it's not so simple."

Abel crossed his arms as though he were some wise master and closed his eyes. "In our line of work you need to discern things not just based on words, but somebody's face." He paced a little bit as he spoke, his eyes still shut. "You have to tell what people are thinking - not just criminals, witnesses - but your partner as well." Abel opened his eyes and looked directly at Atani, letting her read his face all she wished - he tried his best to give the most handsome stare he could, though even he wasn't entirely sure of how it would be received - might seem creepy. "Guess what I'm thinking of in my mind right now. Go ahead. You don't have to get it exact, just close enough."

Abel couldn't help but laugh at her response. "Well, that's pretty broad. Still technically correct though. Good of you to pick such a blanket answer." While he wasn't too surprised she got it he also wondered if she had actually known what he was thinking of for real and wasn't willing to say it out loud. Oh well. "As for you, hmmm..." Abel moved closer to Atani, acting as though he was studying her intensely. He put his face somewhat close to hers, that same cocky smile on his face. He paced around her, looking at her from the back, then the side, then the front once more. "Me." He confidently said, not too far from where she was. They were further distanced in height than they were in width by now. Even for someone as confident as Abel his heart was beating a little bit. Was it simply wishful thinking for such a guess to be right? Perhaps this woman was more literal than he thought and wouldn't pick up his intended meaning. Or perhaps she was more bashful than he imagined and would cover her hands in her face in a red mess. Or perhaps she'd give him a quick slap - though given her performance in the trust exercise he was sure it wouldn't hurt TOO much. He raised his eyebrow slightly, asking for her answer.

Atani may not have been thinking of it in the way that Abel was thinking of but Abel was DEFINITELY thinking that Atani was thinking of it in the way that Abel wanted Atani to think of it.

In more simpler terms: Abel's confidence skyrocketed. "Good job, though neither of us had very difficult ones to figure out. As for the rest..." Abel looked out towards the gym but was interrupted about Atani's thoughts regarding the whole process. "Hm, fair point. Sorry. I tend to make decisions fairly quickly." He backed up a little bit, gesturing out towards the gym. "Either way I think we can both agree that this gym has gotten a little too crowded for any more of this. Not to mention that lady over there is giving me the evil eye - probably wants to use the machine. So how about this, Atani." Abel paused for a moment,
then decided to just go for it. "What would you say to a date? Later tonight, at 6. We can meet at the Grand Cathedral - discuss the rest of this potential partnership. Perhaps you can pick the tests this time." It was a rather daring idea but one that made sense: given that she was already willing enough to go this far in the gym he was sure she'd say yes to something at a much more reasonable locale.

"If you say so." Abel said with a bit of a cocky smile, rather confident that - no matter how much she may deny it, internally or externally - there was some sort of non-professionalism in her eyes. And lots in his of course, that he would never deny.

Abel felt in a rather celebratory mood afterwards and managed to do quite a bit of exercise. He began working himself so hard that he actually was a bit worried he wouldn't be able to make it to their date later - but each time he felt like stopping he simply reminded himself of what Atani looked like and suddenly felt his motivation increase by about 30-50 times. Sometimes the best way to motivate people was the most simple one. As he looked around at the other new recruits he found himself wondering if perhaps the Rune Knights ought to make use of such a strategy on a grander scale, but upon further thought he realized it would not only be an HR disaster but also that there were few that could compare to Atani, particularly in one or two areas. He worked onwards, his mind ever on their meeting later tonight. It was going to be great.

EXIT