2017-10-27 - First Blood at an Otherwise Joyful Reunion

Ted Grant was working the heavy bag when the phone vibrated. He might not have heard it as he was giving the poor bag hell. Crippling punches rained down on it in a blur until the elder mystery man stood panting, sweat running under his mask and down his face. The buzzing startled him the second time it began. He hurriedly reached for the phone and fished it out of his uniform. "Hello?" He slipped the cat mask off smiling. "Nah ... nothing much ... what have I got on? I got Linkin' Park. Tony gave me a cop ... oh. Oh! My gear. You know ... we don't call them costumes. Costumes are for kids trick or treating. We call them uniforms. Nah, the one with the streamlined mask. No I ain't worn the one with the tail in a long time. Do I still have it? Why do you ... ohohohoh. Doctor Tompkins. I blush." He wasn't though.

Carrie Kelley slipped in through the window as all Bat Kin were liable to do. She had heard the pummeling of the bag and knew he likely wouldn't hear a tap at the window, so why bother to give forewarning? It's a situation she greatly regrets as she lands, and the topic of conversation on the phone drifts over to her ears. "... I think I'm too young to be hearing this," she quips with a sheepish chuckle. "Should I leave you two alone to your, uh... Conversation?”

Ted Grant turns around and shows her the phone indicating UnKnown Caller. "It was a telemarketer. Hah! Show you to sneak up on me! I caught your reflection in the phone screen! Hah hahahahahaha!" Ted rubs tears from his eyes. "Your face ..." He's breathing too shallow to continue.

Carrie Kelley narrows her eyes just a bit suspicious even at his teasing. Her head tips to the side, and she crosses her arms lightly over her chest. "Mm. Hm. So you just outed yourself to a telemarketer, then?" She teases back lightly with a wry grin. Even so she has to admit it was a good one. Chuckling along quietly her hands lift palms out in a sign of defeat. "Okay, okay you got me.” Ted Grant waves the phone a bit. "This here is the phone your Boss gimme. It hangs up on telemarketers automatically. Truce it is. Bring it in, Hippolyta." He smiles warmly and opens his arms. At least with Carrie he can let his guard down a bit. Cassandra liked flipping him entirely too much. "Durn right I got ya.”

Carrie Kelley wasn't really blushing, per say, but she was a bit red faced from the mixture of laughing and initial embarrassment over what she'd heard. It was her darn light complexion. Even with that tan she had obtained on the island she could still turn beet red in a second. "I guess I had that one coming to me," she admits with a grin. Stepping in close she wraps her arms around his waist in a hug. "Didn't get the chance to say it last time, but I missed you, Ted."

Ted Grant rubs the back of Carrie's head a little. "I missed you too, kid. I wish I knew you were going to Hippolyta's sisters. I could have taught you a couple of combat maneuvers she showed me. Anyway ... I started working on something a while back, when you left. I finished it when you showed up the other day with Selina. Let me take a good look at you. Hold out your arms.”

Carrie Kelley grumbles a little at the hair mussing. Reaching up she sweeps her hand through her hair just to push it back where it was, much as she could. "Sorry, I had a very short window of opportunity to take up the offer," she admits sheepishly. Stepping back she lifts an eyebrow curiously. With a shrug she stretches her arms out to her sides showing off the tight muscle of her arms in her suit. The black bodysuit she wore beneath the majority of her Robin attire was pretty much skin tight so it easily showed the larger biceps she had worked hard to obtain. She wasn't as muscle bound as most of her family by far, but she looked more like an athlete now instead of some thin slip of a girl.

Ted Grant takes Carrie's wrist and looks at her forearm. He seems satisfied. He goes over to a locker near the ring. "I got the idea because you told me you was an archer already and they wear stuff like this. But I always remembered that story of the goon who tried to choke you. I figured you need an edge ... I'm rambling. They ought to fit. Your arms bulked up a little ... nice by the way. Ahh! Here!" When Ted turns around he has a pair of green armguards in his hands. Moreso they have green metal plates to reinforce the knuckles and make backhand strikes more punishing. He holds them out a little nervously. "Tony and Stretch helped."

Carrie Kelley was used to being assessed physically though usually by Batman. This was different. Tilting her head to the side she watches Ted go over to fetch the item he spoke of resisting the urge to follow after TOO close. She really was curious. What was he up to? When the green armguards are brought out she blinks in surprise, a slow smile spreading over her face. "Oh... Oh wow. That's..." Her teeth dig into her lower lip as she finds herself speechless for the moment. Instead she reaches out to take hold of them, turning them over in her hand to examine them. "This is awesome, Ted! Thank you!”

Ted Grant grins like a school boy. "I made them as tough as I could. They'll turn most blades. Try it out. I'll throw you some heat and you block. I got this stuff from WayneTech."

Carrie Kelley bounces on the balls of her feet like a giddy schoolgirl. Even if she was eighteen now that youthful energy was still evident in her, training or not. It wasn't often she was given 'toys' specifically made for her. Most of her gear was Robin stuff that was refitted to her. Tugging them on she nods quickly. "Well, all right... I did practice with bracers in Themyscira for awhile. I'm no where near Diana's level though," she warns with a grin. Raising her fists in a ready position she watches Ted with a keen eye. "Ready when you are!”

Ted Grant crosses his wrists over his chest and bows to Carrie first. Apparently he picked up a little about Amazons. No need to ask what Queen Hippolyta was saluting him for. Then he comes in throwing punches, though not nearly as fast as his previous routine that led several bags to early retirement. "I stuck mercury in the knuckles," he mentions offhand. That'd get him thrown out of the ring if he were still boxing professionally.

Carrie Kelley doesn't have time to respond to that. Mercury? It runs through her head going over the scientific aspects of it as well as the physical applications... While she deduces exactly what advantages that would give her body moves of it's own accord. Using her smaller height as much to her advantage as possible she raises her arms to use her forearms to deflect the punches up over her head so she can duck in and throw a quick one-two to his solar plexus. "Boss'll love that, I bet."

Ted Grant grunts at the punches landing on his abdomen. He lets her have her fun. He throws a fairly strong punch now ... about what a nutcase like Joker could manage but aims for the guard. "Let him put some super science liquid in it if he wants to go all tree hugger. Hey stop a second. Backhand me. Hard. Let's see how hard it lets you hit. Across the side of my face. My mask has padding." He holds still. Carrie Kelley swings her arm up to block that punch with a grunt. It works, though the force of it does slide her to the side a bit in spite of her wide stance. Huffing a breath she hops back quickly preparing to go again when he calls the stop. "Huh? You sure?" Looking a bit hesitant she frowns. Well, if he says so. "Okay, but... I am not explaining this to Leslie if something goes wrong." Noo. No no. Not her. Rather than drawing a breath she lets one out between her lips deflating her lungs. It's then she moves, sucking in new breath to expand her chest and muscles with the motion of her arm crossing over her chest toward her shoulder, and swinging the back of her fist out toward Ted. Though she'd had the Amazon training, she also still held onto some of her own and uses the motion of her backhand to twist her body around entirely in the process so that she puts the full force of her weight behind it as well.

Ted Grant has gotten knocked down before of course. Normally he would not let someone simply pop him on the head. Hubris? Yes he has it. At the last second he lets his head test to roll with the blow. It isn't enough to save him and he goes down on one knee. Wildcat turns his face aways and spits a little blood out discretely. He takes a deep breath. "Good one. Yeah. I think that will do. Can you drive me to the Clinic? I may need an x-ray." He gets t his feet. Yes you can knock Wildcat down the problem becomes what to do with him when he gets back up? Carrie Kelley had landed back on her feet facing him, knees slightly bent as if preparing for another strike. It was automatic in spite of this being a friendly match. As soon as he goes down she shifts her weight forward with concern rippling across her features. "Ah.. shoot sorry! You okay?" Was that blood? She was used to the old man trying to hide when he was bleeding. Of course she spotted it. A sigh is let out as she relaxes and reaches out to duck under one of his arms intending to help walk him out. "Come on, old man, I got the bike with me. You'll fit on the back."

Ted Grant gets to his feet. He's a foot taller and more than twice her weight. The shoulder under him is more to remind him which way is up. "Don't call me old man. I let you have one for free. I let all my students get one good shot in. I'm afraid this is going to be painful sweetie. Really painful."

Later …

"Theodore Grant ... you're your own worst enemy! I swear I think you do this sort of thing just to come bother me when I can't get a night off. You might have traumatized this poor young woman with your nonsense!" Ted winces a little as Leslie Thompkins stitches a cut near his temple. She throws Carrie a look as she finishes her task. "Sweetheart ... just remember when you're with this man ... you're the mature one. Hitting and being hit is the only way he ever knows to interact with people." "Aw Lee c'mon ..." "Quiet you. There's a reason you have a mug here with your name on it! What are you smiling about you …scoundrel?"

Carrie Kelley smiles faintly at the scolding. "Right Ted, right," she agrees. "Spending too much time with Selena I guess." She knows she wasn't really helping carry him at all, but she also knew the benefit of having a steadying anchor when your head was spinning. Once they arrived though...

Carrie hung to the back a bit, shuffling her weight from one foot to the other as she listened to the pair bicker. This wasn't new to her, really, it was just odd being on the fringes of it. Also odd given it wasn't Batman being scolded by Alfred for such a thing. When Leslie offers that to her she flashes a smile. "Ah, right. I just... I didn't think it'd be that hard anyway," she mumbles awkwardly.