Three Pointers! - Erin and Blaise Revisited

[CyanDimitrik]

The time: Mid-afternoon.

The place: A familiar gym.

The occasion: Not wrestling.

Despite the gym having a sizable and fully functional wrestling ring as its staple point, today is a day of blasphemy. Blaise Cameron, professional wrestler, one who has just recently made use of said ring against an Irish lass to (in his opinion) disastrous result, is not in the ring. He's not trolling for spars. He's not even here at the behest of his overbearing federation-appointed trainer. He's in the back of the gym, alone in the half-court for basketball.

Decorum isn't so mandatory when you're by yourself. So his athletic shoes and workout capris make up the mainstay of his wardrobe, along with fingerless gloves and a potentially pointless elbow bracer. The attire normally comes with a red tanktop, but it's been cast aside.

Blaise

He has blue eyes, I swear.

The teen appears zenned out for the time being, lining up a simple direct two-pointer. The ball is shot high, arcs, and swishes smoothly into the basket, only to bounce off the gym floor to the side.

[Noob]

Having just finished a quick workout Erin was just about ready to leave the gym. The redhead was wearing a bright green Tshirt and black shorts that she had just changed into. Her route out of the gym had taken her past the basketball court. It wasn't the quickest way out but she knew there was a vending machine close by and wanted to get a treat for herself. Erin would stop to get a granola bar before passing the door to the basketball court.

Upon passing the door she saw a familiar face out of the corner of her eye. Erin quickly entered the gym and shouted out to Blaise. "Heyyyyy! You're the guy I sparred with a while ago. Nice shot!" She commented, her voice echoing throughout the empty court. The redhead made her way towards Blaise with her usual smile across her face. "Was it Brock? ...Blake? ...BLAISE! Haha got it. Anyways I didn't know you played basketball. I hope you play better than you wrestle." The Irish lass teased before giving the teen a nudge.

[CyanDimitrik]

Blaise starts at a trot after the ball as it bounces along the court, only to come to a nearly stumbling halt as it continues on its way past Erin. He recognizes her. He remembers the frustration of losing to her. He remembers the frustration of the 'match' itself. But he puts on a smile to push past that - only for it to take a hit almost immediately. Hope he plays better than he wrestles? Damn. That didn't take long. How the Hell is it she's constantly burrowing under his skin? Opponents who thrive on angering others have tried to do that very thing ever since he started wrestling with absolutely no success, and she seems to manage it effortlessly! Is she an X-Man? Is that her mutant power?

He exhales a puff of a sigh to take just a moment to gather himself. He then motions a hand towards the basketball, "You just let the ball bounce past you? Bush league, Quinn." So there. Granted, he's the one still chasing after it to retrieve it from the corner, but never you mind that. Once the ball is secured between his palms, he starts back towards the two-point line. "Yeah. I play a little," he offers, guarded.

[Noob]

Erin laughed as the ball rolled passed her and Blaise took a slight jab at her. "Haha sorry sorry. I guess I'm kinda oblivious." She commented before lightly knocking twice on her head. She would take a step towards the ball but it seemed Blaise was already on it so Erin just watched. Her eyes lingered perhaps a bit longer than they should have but at least she was there to greet him with a smile when he turned back. She would watch as he walked back to the two point line, waiting to see him take another shot. The redhead had of course played before but her shot was far from perfect due to a lack of practicing it ever.

"Oh you do? Cool. I've been wanting to try it out myself." Erin said. The redhead made a lighthearted attempt to quickly steal the ball from Blaise which resulted in little more than her slapping the ball which remained in place. "Awww shucks." She said, slightly disappointed. "Guess that's harder than it looks huh?" Erin asked, chuckling slightly.

[CyanDimitrik]

Blaise listens to her while he lines up his shot on the basket. She's been wanting to try it out? She's never played? That isn't really surprising. While he knows she's athletic, basketball's definitely different from power-lifting or wrestling. He's never bothered to ask around, but now that she's made him think of it, he'd be surprised if many wrestlers at all play-

She swats the ball. He stops everything, looks at the ball, then her with a determinedly flat expression. "Behave," he scolds. His voice has neither venom, scorn, nor actual command. He's resumed the yo-yo of being cautious and letting himself relax with teasing her all over again.

He looks to the ball again, then back to her with a new expression. "Here," he says, offering the ball to her. "Try it. No granny shots. And when you shoot it," he feigns the motion, arms popping up, "follow through. Don't yank your arms back. Just like when you're punching something, ya gotta commit. Kay?"

[Noob]

Erin can't help but laugh a bit when told to behave. "pffff, what fun is that?" She quickly responded. The redhead would fake going for another swipe before letting Blaise finally focus. She was surprised when the teen handed her the ball and told her to shoot. For a second she just stared blankly at him, his words going in one ear and out the other. She gathered enough information from his motion though to figure out what to do.

Erin lined up a shot, waited a moment, and threw the ball towards the net. The ball hit the backboard and then bounced off of the rim to the left. "Ahhhh man...nothing at all like punching someone." Erin complained. She would give Blaise a quick jab on the shoulder. "See? Very different." She said, once again chuckling to herself. After a few seconds she would rush to get the ball and dribble it back to Blaise. "I bet I can get the hang of this quick though." She said, more to herself than Blaise.

[CyanDimitrik]

"Hey, that was close!," Blaise offers supportively - and winds up punched. Yes, he knows she's messing around. No, that doesn't offend him. But it does earn her a smirk. It's on the tip of his tongue to tell her to get the ball in penance, but she's already rushing off to do that, stealing his opportunity to sass her.

As she returns, his fists plant to his hips. "The more you keep at it, the better you'll be. Like with anything. Painting, singing, car crashes..." He's still guarded, but it's lowering bit by bit. He nods towards her. "Take another shot. And this time, I want'cha to think about something; the ball will go where you focus. So focus just above the basket."

[Noob]

"Crashing cars?" Erin asked with a raised eyebrow. It was obvious that she didn't find his comment to inspire much confidence. "I don't want my shot to be like a car crash." She commented, a bit disappointed that that was the advice she got. The next piece of help would prove to be more insightful though. The redhead took the ball and looked towards the basket. She hesitated for a moment and then tossed the ball into the air.

Unfortunately Blaise's advice might have worked a bit too well. The ball would fly exactly where Erin aimed it, hitting above the basket and bouncing right back towards her. The redhead would bend down to pick up the ball with a sigh. "Alright...It might take like 3 more shots but I'll get it eventually." She said, slightly less cheery now than she was when she greeted Blaise.

[CyanDimitrik]

"It was a joke, Erin," Blaise explains.

The ball is in the air. It banks off the board and, conveniently enough, comes right back to the redhead. His arms fold loosely over his chest as he watches. "Like with anything," he begins to repeat, "it takes practice. You know - a light touch. Finesse. And you'll get a better feel for that with eeevery shot you take."

The arms unfold, and he pantomimes taking another shot. At the apex of his 'shoot', his feet gently pop off the gym floor. "Swoosh~..."

[Noob]

Finesse, a light tough...Both of these were attributes Erin lacked and she made no effort to pretend that she possessed them. "Hmmm...Maybe basketball isn't for me then." She thought out loud before shaking her head. "Gaaah no way! I'm gonna get it!" The redhead declared. After watching Blaise motion a shot Erin would shove the ball into his hands, perhaps a bit too roughly in her eagerness to master the skill.

"Alright, show me again!" Erin practically demanded. The woman would then stare intently at Blaise, making sure to watch his every move. It wouldn't be until later that she'd realize that there were probably better ways to go about this. For now she just wanted to make a shot, and preferably she'd be able to get one from the three point line in a short time.