[center][h1][b][color=teal]Vincent[/color] & [color=goldenrod]Ja[/color][/b][/h1][/center]

[sub]Two Days Ago…[/sub]

Vincent slowly stretched his arms over his head, then lowered them, satisfied that, despite the dull ache that was still present, his ribs were more or less fully healed. Which meant that he could get back to training as hard as he normally did, something he was more than eager to get back to. He changed into his workout clothes and left his room, his favorite music playing through his headphones.

When he reached the gym, his step faltered when the first thing he saw was a familiar headbush. The harbor shot to the front of his mind, when he was on his back, powerless against the Beast, but he quickly shook his head, clearing it. The person in the room with him wasn’t…whatever that was, not now, at least.

He walked into the room and said with a wave, [color=teal]”Hey, man. Which, um…which one am I talking to?”[/color]

Above was a set of color coded rings hanging from ropes and, between them, the headbush maneuvered like a monkey through branches. The bushbaby had been swinging between them whilst holding a bowl with water between his legs. The idea was to take different routes back and forth, using the differently colored rings. The catch was not to spill a drop of water; it was ‘lava’ or ‘radioactive waste’ and there were people below.

Ja had heard the footsteps approaching the training room, and initially thought that they were Viktor’s. Maybe he’d thought of something different from their last conversation. However, when they stopped at the doorway, Ja stopped swinging. His hand clutched the ring he was on and he had to contort his body slightly to stabilize the bowl— keeping from tipping it. The scent was different, more like that brown coin with the dead man’s face on it— a penny. Vincent? His greeting voice confirmed Ja’s suspicion, and golden globes aimed down toward him. 

[color=goldenrod]”…Mhoro, Vin.”[/color] His question made him think of what Viktor had told him prior. Did he go over it with the others perhaps? Had they all been talking about it without him? By no means did he feel betrayed, if they did…he…the Red Beast… [color=goldenrod]”Ja…I was just finishing anyway.”[/color]

He’d pursed his lips, letting go of the rung to spread his wings for a second, afterwards comfortably hovering. He then took the bowl from his legs and descended to the landing pads.

[color=teal]”No need to hurry on my account. There’s plenty of space here for the both of us,”[/color] Vincent replied as he dropped his headphones to his shoulders. He nodded at the bowl and asked, [color=teal]”What kinda workout was that?”[/color]

As the flying squirrel landed, he himself looked at the bowl in his hold. [color=goldenrod]”Well…the idea, originally, of those rings was meant to test one’s coordination and agility. But…given my power, that would be too easy on its own…So, Tenzi Dinah said whenever I do it, I should hold the glass bowl. Then to increase the difficulty, add more and more water to it until it is full. Each time, I would have to be careful and more accurate with my movements. Otherwise, if I spilled it, ‘lava’ would hit a civilian below.”[/color]

[color=teal]”Ah, I see,”[/color] Vincent said with a nod. [color=teal]”That sounds like a pretty good workout. I doubt I have the dexterity for it, though.”[/color] As he started his stretches, he thought about what Ja had said, the name sounding vaguely familiar to him. As he finished up, it hit him. [color=teal]”You’re talking about Black Canary, right? She’s the one that came up with that exercise for you?”[/color]

The young lion nodded his head, taking a few steps away from it, but he paused. [color=goldenrod]”How are you healing?”[/color]

Vincent looked over his shoulder at Ja as he walked over to the weights. He turned to face his comrade and tapped his chest with his fist. [color=teal]”Almost all healed up, already,”[/color] he answered with a grin. [color=teal]”Still a bit sore and my ribs don’t like it if I twist a certain way, but I should be all good to go by the time the next mission rolls around.”[/color]

He turned away from Ja and picked up a dumbbell, but paused. He stood there for a moment, weighing what he wanted to say as if it were the dumbbell in his hand, then finally spoke. [color=teal]”About that…I wanted to make sure you…and Kila…know that I don’t blame you guys for what happened.”[/color]

Ja smiled at first but he felt some sort of confusion build. He understood that Vincent, despite what had happened, was trying to make him feel a little better but…[color=goldenrod]”…What do you mean?”[/color]

Vincent looked back at Ja mid-rep, then said, [color=teal]”Just that. I don’t blame you or Kila. It might’ve used your body, but whatever [i]that[/i] was, it wasn’t either of you. It doesn’t make sense to blame anyone except whatever it was that took over. And, hell, I’m not sure I’m even angry at [i]him.[/i] Besides…”[/color]

He set the weight down and looked up toward the ceiling. For a moment, it looked like he was wrestling with something on his mind, but that moment quickly passed as, without looking at Ja, he continued, [color=teal]”I got hurt because I wasn’t strong enough. No matter how hard I could hit, you – I mean it, him, whatever – didn’t even budge. It was my fault I got hurt, so I gotta work to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”[/color]

Ja watched him with furrowed brows, looking all around the room in thought before returning his gaze. ‘It used his body’…’whatever it was’…With what he’d recently learned about himself…such a statement wasn’t really true. The Red Beast…it wasn’t…he…wasn’t just some creature that inhabited his body. He was as much part of Ja as ‘Kila’ was…Despite his fear of what his counterpart was capable of, he had to learn how to understand himself. 

Still…

[color=goldenrod]”…I appreciate your words…I know that an apology doesn’t heal your injuries but I offer one anyway. And…if at any point you want help with your self improvement, whether it be your strength or otherwise, I offer my hand as well.”[/color]

Vincent turned to face Ja and grinned at his teammate. [color=teal]”I’ll probably take you up on that sooner rather than later. I’m always on the lookout for more sparring partners.”[/color]

Deciding to move the conversation away from his failure, Vincent took a seat on a weight bench and asked, [color=teal]”Anyway, enough about me. Other than wanting to make sure you knew I didn’t blame you, I wanted to see how you and Kila were holding up.”[/color]

The bushbaby seemed to struggle with the concept, even still. [color=goldenrod]”I have been doing okay…I suppose. I was only recently told by Vicky about this other side…so that is just another part of my life that I have to learn more about…on top of this business with the Red Beast and what may possibly be setting my instincts off while out in the field…”[/color] Ja caught himself mid ramble and looked instead at the bowl of water in his hands. 

[color=goldenrod]”Maybe…I am actually [i]not[/i] okay…[/color] His lip twitched, and he chuckled somberly. [color=goldenrod]”But I have been told that time heals all…and since I’ll be stuck here…I suppose that is all I have.”[/color]

Vincent nodded and looked down at his hands as he laced his fingers together. He had never been good at knowing what to say when someone was going through a tough time, so he was quiet for a few long moments. Truthfully, he had a feeling that he didn't know Kila or Ja well enough for anything he could say to be truly helpful. However, he wasn't the kind of guy to not try.

[color=teal]"Well...maybe it's not all bad."[/color] he eventually said. [color=teal]"I won't pretend like I completely understand your situation. No offense, but just the fact that you've got three people in your head is making [i]my[/i] head spin, but it's like you said: it's something else you gotta learn about. But think about what you'll be able to do once you've got a handle on everything you've got going on."[/color]

Ja gave Vincent’s words some thought. At first he was inclined to simply nod his head and thank him, but that last phrase reminded him of something Iwisa had taught him. [color=goldenrod]”‘There will be times that the only path forward is understanding where you are.’”[/color] He mumbled, slowly nodding after repeating her words in his memory and he looked back up at Vince. His teammate had a reputation for not being too clever, but today he’d shown insight. Even if it was, judging by his expression, by accident.

[color=goldenrod]”I think I understand what you mean. Thank you, Vincent.”[/color]

[color=teal]”Ah, don’t mention it,”[/color] Vincent replied with a grin. [color=teal]”I’m just glad it seemed to help.”[/color] With that, he laid back on the bench and curled his fingers around the barbell around him. Before he started on his bench presses, he asked Ja, [color=teal]”Oh, by the way, mind spotting me?”[/color]