[Open with Closed prompts] We are all our hands and holders

[silberfuchs]

Who| Albert and various people
What| Doing various plotted things, and also an open prompt!
Where| Around the Tower and maybe in the city
When| Through this week, after the kid's arena (back or forward dated as desired, but not too far forward)
Warnings/Notes| Main post is a general open prompt, character specific prompts are in the comments.

With that awful and thankfully short children-only Arena behind them, Albert has focused on his physical therapy as much as possible. He's walking without a cane entirely now, working out again in the mornings - or rather, the afternoons. Jet still comes up the second the curfew is lifted and they fall asleep together for a few hours. He still feels on edge, like they're simply biding their time until the next Arena, and then the next, rats running the wheels. It's frustrating.

To keep that frustration to manageable levels he tries to find other things to occupy his mind, worthwhile goals. During curfew hours he spends time writing music again, a practice to re-hone his fine motor function with a pen but also calm his mind. During the unconfined hours of the day, in what little time he spends without his husband (or sometimes with Jet), Albert makes other plans with the friends and allies he's made here as well as potentially looking for new ones.

He can be found nearly anywhere around in the afternoon and evening, most often in the Training Center or at the piano in the lobby, testing the strings of notes and chords he'd written the night previous. If anyone wants to join him for training they're welcome to do so, and even if he does seem a little shy, he doesn't mind an audience to his playing either. He needs feedback, of course, or else how will he improve? And if someone has in mind to go out somewhere, or runs into him on the street while purchasing more paper or more raw ingredients for Bruce's habit of stress cooking throughout the night, then he'll usually be pleased to stop for a chat.

Comments

[silberfuchs]

Thor's in the clear; Albert hasn't found footage of the taller man attempting a firearm and even if he had, Albert's not one to laugh at someone who lacks skills that they haven't ever had the opportunity to learn.

"Hand to hand, then." He squares off like a boxer, arms raised with his elbows tight so he can quickly move between defense and offense. This isn't what he was taught - the military teaches how to take someone down quickly, what places to hit for the quick disarm and pin if you should ever find yourself in a scuffle without a gun or a knife, but his actual training has always counted more on having a weapon handy and in Albert's case, he'd always had a weapon handy. Pun intended.

In the Arena it's not always the case and so Albert's been teaching himself hand to hand where he can. Nothing so precise of form as a martial art, but letting practice holograms come at you with the intent of taking them out unarmed helps some. Then he'd been remodeled by the Capitol and back to relearning how to do such simple things as hold a spoon, so it hasn't been high on his priority list of late.

Which is probably why he's very hesitant to throw the first punch, instead circling across from Thor warily.

[worldsaway]

Where Albert is squared and careful, Thor is relaxed. His arms aren't tensed or straightened, they're just barely spread at his side as he is accustomed to. Better to have the space and the movement to summon mjolnir, better to keep limber to compensate for his size.

He circles as well, watching Albert carefully before realising he will likely need to make the first move. He could do something calculating, but he opts for an obvious move. He aims a punch low at Albert's gut, wanting a sense of the other man's reflexes when his target isn't a bag strung up from the roof. Thor is spry for a man his size, but he isn't trying for a K.O just yet.

[silberfuchs]

He blocks with his left arm and the movement is fast, like a striking snake but more solid. Albert's arm comes down and instead of acting a shield - difficult at that angle - he aims to push down on the other man's arm as he arches a bit back, keeping himself out of range and pushing Thor's fist somewhere less threatening. With his other hand, Albert punches at his chest, but it's an unintentional feint; he's hesitant to hit the man with a metal fist full on and so he doesn't connect, his fist darting back before landing.

[worldsaway]

The way Thor's eyebrows quirk upward is a clear indication that he's impressed. A smile quirks at his lips as he braces his arm, allowing Albert to push against him while holding his ground as best he can. He wants him to get a hit in, on some level, because he wants to know how much of a blow that metal arm can deal.

When Albert's fist darts back without really connecting, Thor decides to get rougher. His palm darts out fast, giving Albert's shoulder a rough shove before barreling at him with more weight. His intent is to knock him off his feet, his fighting style more like a wrestler than a boxer.

[silberfuchs]

Instead of pushing against the shove, Albert moves his weight with it, stepping back and to the side as Thor surges forward. He's not quite as agile as the Asgardian and so his metal shoulder gets clipped as the warrior moves past, sending a jarring sensation much like holding a tuning fork for too long running up his arm. He reels an extra step, trying to find his balance, but he doesn't go down and still manages to keep himself facing Thor from his new direction. He'd thought to aim a blow to Thor's back as it was turned, but Albert had needed those precious seconds to keep his own feet and therefore missed his opportunity.

"You're fast." There's little surprise in the statement, more an acknowledgement of prowess.

[worldsaway]

As the fight progresses, Thor is both more like the warrior he's told to be and the boisterous golden retriever he pretends he isn't. He enjoys sparring, so even when Albert holds steady he looks pleased with the situation.

"You're surprised." He observes, an amused lilt in his voice as he half circles his prey before moving in to his metal-armed side. He comes at him as if he intends to throw a punch, but instead he's throwing a leg at the back of Albert's knee in an attempt to kick his legs out from under him. It's a compromising move, one that he could fall from, but he trusts in his ability to startle Albert enough to buy time.