[Date: January 16th. Time: 1:10 pm.] [After the crazy beating they received from the debriefing earlier and the craziness that happened in Heinrick's office, Heinrick mentioned that he would be meeting Keiko later for training. Presumably she's had time to eat lunch, but if she hasn't, that's not Heinrick's fault! Because he's coming for her. In a totally non-creepy way. But still coming.] * Heinrick goes down to Keiko's dorm room using quiet steps and knocks on the door. * Keiko ate lunch, yes. She's sitting in her room, on her bed, looking at one of the books that Rose gave her when knock arrives. She looks at the door and says, "Yes?" * Heinrick replies, since she hasn't opened the door. "It's me." His voice sounds composed and collected now, very different from earlier this morning. * Keiko puts her book aside and stands, drifting across the room. Her duck floats from the bed to join her, landing in her left hand right before she opens the door for him and looks up. She doesn't look any worse for wear either, by this point. She repeats, more quietly, "Yes?" * Heinrick looks down at her with an expressionless face. "How are you feeling?" * Keiko smirks very faintly to reply, "Great." The smirk fades as she turns around and walks back towards the bed. "You?" * Heinrick manages a slight smile. "I have been better. But that is of little importance. I'd like to look into your training." * Keiko pushes the book closed with her hand and then turns around to look at him. She's pretty expressionless now. "What kind?" (Temp afk. But may be the prolonged one I told you about if it takes too long.) (Back.) * Heinrick tilts his head to the side slightly. "Is something wrong?" * Keiko runs a finger along her collar. "Nothing more than normal." * Heinrick rubs his fingers on his chin as he looks at her. "Mmm." He turns around and starts walking away. * Keiko waits a moment, then walks after him. "I take it you did mean now?" * Heinrick looks over his shoulder but doesn't stop talking. "I did. But it would be an inefficient use of both our times if you are not into it." * Keiko frowns a bit and says, "Into what?" * Heinrick stops for a moment. "Training. You are not going to give it 100%. That ineffectiveness would be more dangerous than not being trained at all, because we would expect you to have abilities that you had been trained in that you were not devouting full energy towards." (*devoting) * Keiko looks at him strangely. "... I did say 'nothing more than normal', right?" * Heinrick looks down at Keiko for a moment. "Indeed. You did." Just... checking. * Heinrick looks up again. "So are you saying that you are at 100% efficiency? You could not be any better motivated than you are now?" * Keiko frowns, and says a bit sarcastically, "Of course I could be better motivated. There could actually be something to do." When did you stop making sense? * Heinrick smiles slightly back. "Perhaps you stopped trying to make sense out of me instead." He stands up again. "Well, if you *are* prepared then, follow me. Though I expect you to prove yourself true to your word." * Heinrick starts walking towards the holosuite, er deck, er room. * Keiko runs her finger along her collar as she follows, murmuring, "Maybe it scrambled your brains." [The doors to the holoroom open and then shut. It doesn't look like there's a program set, because it's the standard blank room that's there when there's nothing set. No one else seems to be there. Heinrick, when he enters, makes his way towards the center of the room.] * Keiko follows into the room anyway, although she lets him go to the center of the room on his own, stopping about halfway there to pet her duck idly. * Heinrick waits till the door closes and turns around. "There is no program. I figured this was the best place for solo programming. As solitary as we can be, at least. * Heinrick looks at Keiko. "What would you consider from yourself to be your greatest weakness, Miss Hanano?" * Keiko is silent as he speaks. After he's done she looks to him and says, "My physical ones." * Heinrick rubs his chin for a moment. "Perhaps. But have you found ways to circumvent those in a manner that is useful?" * Keiko floats her duck above her head and says, "Quarter-way, maybe." I'd like to hear how you feel this affects your work. * Keiko looks off to the side of Heinrick and mutters, "Well, it makes it awfully hard to use a gun." * Heinrick nods. "I agree that having a firearm would be a useful defense. Is that the only reason?" * Keiko is silent a moment, then replies, "There's too many things. The world isn't built for someone like me." * Heinrick nods. "So you are saying you would like to fit into the world more." * Keiko frowns, as her duck floats back to her hands. After a moment she says, hesitantly, "Ras once said that... 'square pegs in round holes could break the hole, but they could break the peg too'." She sounds like she might be translating on the fly. * Heinrick tilts his head to the side slightly. "Ras?" * Keiko hugs her duck. "Someone I used to know. Crazy old man." * Heinrick pushes up his glasses slightly. "Sometimes, perhaps, the most sane advice can come from those who seem insane." * Keiko smiles very faintly a moment, then it slips away and she just replies, "Sometimes." * Heinrick nods. "But I agree that that is something to work on. However, I was thinking of a more pressing matter." He walks back towards the center of the room away from Keiko. He leaves the forum open just in case she wishes to guess at it. * Keiko has had enough guessing for one day, and so instead stands there, running her finger along her collar idly. * Heinrick takes off his jacket (actually for the first time since Keiko's seen him). Underneath he's wearing a smart shortsleeve shirt. He sticks his left hand in his pants pocket and glances over at Keiko, his right arm at his side. "I'd like you to come here and grab hold of this arm, Keiko." (This being right?) (Yes) * Keiko looks momentarily puzzled before that slips away too. She pads over slowly, leaving her duck in her right hand as she reaches across to grab his right arm. If he lets her, it's not really a firm grip. Definitely doesn't even get her fingers around his arm. * Heinrick 's mental barriers drop once Keiko has a grip on his arm. It still feels controlled and organized but not to the extent of shutting her out. Definitely different from last time. She can sense a little disappointment from him but also high expectations. * Keiko 's face goes to a slight frown and she says into his mind, ~Well, I must've got something wrong.~ * Heinrick response verbally to Keiko's mental speech. "Not wrong exactly. But I was expecting something a little more pertinant. It's no matter really. Are you ready?" * Keiko thinks back, ~You've never tried to live your life lifting everything with a single finger. I'm ready.~ * Keiko 's grip tightens a little. She doesn't have much to tighten with, but she does! * Heinrick nods slightly. "Very well then." His hand suddenly comes out of his pocket and Keiko's able to see a glint of metal. With one smooth motion, he jams it hard into his right shoulder. Blood starts seeping into his shirt and a course of pain leaks through the link. Heinrick seems to be enduring it though. * Keiko cries out in pain even as she thinks at him, ~What are you doing!~ She looks up at his face and her grip loosens for a moment, before she grits her teeth and tightens it. * Keiko sucks in a slow breath through those gritted teeth. * Heinrick looks at her reaction, his face emotionless. "Endure it. Whatever you do, keep hold." He twists the blade a little bit, bringing a whole new sensation of pain. * Keiko 's face starts to not look so pained, and her grip is solid. After a few moments of him twisting, she says quietly, "You don't need to keep doing that. My mind is cold now." * Heinrick nods. "Very good. You may release now." * Keiko lets go and looks to his shoulder. She has a very flat look on her face as she asks, "You brought bandages, I hope." * Heinrick takes out his dagger, not carrying about the still open wound at the moment and takes a few casual steps away from her. "This was just a test, but twice now, you have been nearly incapacitated on the field because of this. And twice more in my office. Is that not true?" * Keiko takes a step back and replies, still flat, "It is." She exhales slowly and then shakes her head. "I'm an empath. It... happens." * Keiko sounded more normal in that last phrase. * Heinrick turns around and sighs slightly. The link is still open, though there's little pain still flowing through it. Heinrick seems a bit disappointed, not at the response, but at how casually Keiko dismisses it. "That may be true. However, we must find some way to contain it. If you cannot a way to deal with it through training..." He leaves the last part hanging for a moment, then shakes his head. * Keiko says, suddenly annoyed, "Would you cut out your eyes so nobody can blind you?" * Heinrick looks back at her, equally annoyed. "I'm sorry. Since when did I mention removing any of your senses?" He pushes up his glasses and calms himself again. "No. This is you now. I do not wish to return you to the vats if I can help it. The human body is not meant to be altered any more than need be." * Keiko shrinks back a moment, then says in a low voice, "But... that's what it is. These are my eyes. It's just sometimes I don't... blink fast enough. Or someone hits me hard. It doesn't down me." * Heinrick nods slightly. "So. We train you to blink." He turns his back to her. "How accurate are the emotions in the simulator? I doubt they are up to par. Simulated brain waves are little like the real thing." * Keiko still looks offput as she rubs her collar. After a second she says slowly, "They work enough. They're... human enough." A small pause, then her eyes widen and she murmurs in Japanese, * Heinrick nods. "We will start with three times a day. If that is ineffective, we will increase it to five times. I will personally oversee the training two times a week, so that you may get practice with live human subjects. Of course, I will vary the time and place so that it will not be expected." He looks over his shoulder. "Is that clear?" * Keiko looks to be thinking to herself, and as such doesn't respond immediately. * Heinrick has patience. He's standing there with an open wound, for Christ sake. He can wait. * Keiko finally looks at Heinrick and says slowly after a moment, "Practice. Unexpected. Right." * Heinrick nods. "You are also free to work on what you consider your other difficulties in the gym until I am patched up. I will call you again down here when we are ready to begin again." * Keiko licks her lips a moment, then grits her teeth as she steps forward and, if he's still open, thinks into his mind, ~I... need another training. And I can't get it myself.~ * Heinrick turns around at her response. "Oh?" * Keiko thinks at him, ~Could you just... think back?~ She runs her hand along her collar again and adds, ~In the raid on the Zunkuft plant, I... couldn't feel all the enemies.~ Beat. ~I wasn't sure why. But this has got to be what it is.~ * Keiko licks her lips. ~Nene sealed it.~ * Heinrick stops and turns around for a second. He abides by her request to think back this time. ~Explain.~ * Keiko looks nervous as she says, ~I... think that I can only really see humans. I can't feel Nene at all. Or those guys at Zunkuft. Animals, are different, and bending thin--~ she cuts it off. * Heinrick doesn't press on the last note, though there is a hint of curiosity in him. ~I see. We can use this to our advantage though if you see someone you cannot detect. We would know them to be non-human.~ * Keiko 's hand tightens on her plush. ~Yes, but if we're going to fight them again, I need to be able to see.~ * Heinrick nods slightly. ~Very well. I will help you set it up. However, it would have to be on your own time. I am not certain we could fully fit it into the regular training schedule at this time.~ * Keiko thinks back, ~That's fine. I just... can't get not-people around.~ She steps back and puts her duck in both hands. * Heinrick nods. ~Very well. I'll see what I can do. In the meantime...~ He makes his way out to the door. "As I said earlier, you are free to work on your physical strength until further notice. I will call you when necessary." He makes his way out to get some bandages. * Keiko nods slightly and lets him go. AFter he's gone she pets her duck and murmurs, She then walks after him. [End!]