Training Break {Antonio}

Ruby's training with Mei had been constant since the two began. She had weekends off and even then she was told to practice control. It was difficult to say the least. The panwere felt like she had no time to herself. Aside from the ridicule, that was probably the worst thing about having two beasts in one. Every day Jon dropped her off and Dominic picked her up. She had no time to dilly-dally in between. Aside from when she and Mei decided to take a break and get all forms of energy back before they proceeded with the aforementioned training.

At this current moment, that's what was going on. Ruby was getting the break she needed. She had decided to take this time to make her way through the plaza and find the library. It wasn't the easiest task seeing as the place was rather large and she had wandered in circles for a little while until she finally turned a different way. Finally, the large building came into her sight and she let out a sigh of relief. It took long enough, but she'd reached her destination. Ruby walked up the stairs and pushed open the doors, entering the large building.

Her gaze wandered around as she moved further inside. For a few moments, the red head wandered through the stacks, trying to find something to read. As she neared the aisle, her cats picked up on the scent of someone familiar. She sniffed the air subtly and began to move again. Peering around one of the rows of books, she smiled as an equally familiar face appeared. She moved slowly so as not to startle him before she spoke. "Hey Antonio," she said, a warm smile on her face.

Unfortunately Antonio still startled as he wasn't like the rest of the people in the streak lands. He was a misfit. A tiger born of the clan but with no tiger. Oh he had the eyes of the tigers, but none slumbered with in. The book slammed shut as he startled and his eyes looked up to Ruby. "Oh hey Ruby," he said smiling a bit. He had seen the panwere around, and had asked who she was. He smiled a little more as he thought back when he had first seen the lady. He had stepped out of a room and had caught her backside. A hot back side it was...and then he found out that she had a hot boyfriend. Well probably hot in her mind.

Oh it was a sad day that day, but he did enjoy the few glimpses he caught of her. This was their first time actually talking though. "What brings you out here? I thought you were training with Mei?" he asked her as he held the book in his hand again. He was wearing standard jeans, tennis shoes, and a form fitting shirt. The book in his hands, if she looked, was different tactics and moves for boxing.

The female couldn't help but laugh softly as the book slammed shut, the forced breeze cool on her face. He sure was jumpy. She supposed it made sense when one didn't have a beast inside to watch over them. Ruby was fortunate enough to have two. Though she didn't always see it as being fortunate. She shook her head slightly and offered him a smile before taking a seat beside him. Her elbow rested on the table, her head in her hand as she read what he was reading.

With her free hand, she tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and offered him a smile. "I was. But even Mei needs a break sometimes. So, I figured I'd come here and maybe get a book on panweres. Just to give me a better idea of how all this goes." Her eyes looked around before she spoke in slightly hushed tones. "Even if I have been one for the better part of two years," she said. Despite being on Streak lands, humans came to these parts and she had to be careful. Didn't wan the wrong person to hear her.

"What about you? I see boxing tactics so there's obviously some form of training in there," she said, offering him a smile. She had always wondered why he didn't have a tiger in him. He was related to them and should have been born as such. The panwere wanted to inquire more but wasn't quite sure how to bring the topic up, unsure of how he would react to it.

"Ah well if you want to look them up you'll need to go back to the restricted section I think," Antonio said about looking for a book on Panweres, "I mean they have books about them out here too, but I don't think they'll be as correct as the ones in the back." He said hoping he could help her out in that aspect.

Looks down and then smiles more, "Yeah. When things showed I wasn't Tiger I got into trouble...got busted bad, and then when I was restricted to Streak land...well...I had to find something to do. Been going for the last few years." He said as he walked over and took the near by chair with her, "it's helped with my frusterations a lot."

He looked over to her, "so how did you find out...well on the second one?" he asked keeping his voice down. One because it was a library and two was the same reason she had. Didn't want to make the human's nervous. Hell his eyes made them nervous and he was nothing special.

The panwere nodded as he mentioned going to the restricted section. "I probably will. Thankfully I'm able to get in there," she said, laughing softly. She knew that a lot of the book here were accurate, some more so than others. What she wanted wasn't going to be the easiest thing to find. Runing a hand through her hair, she smiled as Tony took a seat near her.

As he spoke about why he was getting into the boxing, she nodded. "I suppose that makes sense. If you can't leave you do need something to do," she said, shrugging slightly. Ruby knew she wouldn't be able to keep herself restricted to a small area and was glad that after her second infection, she wasn't required to do such an act.

At his question, she froze slightly. No one had ever really asked her that before. Three years and to her recollection, only the Raj had requested the information of what had happened. Her eyes lowered before she responded. "It was the first full moon after I was attacked...I had felt something a week earlier and the moon's pull confirmed it. Spots surrounded me while I stood out with stripes..." The story was one that she didn't often think on. Her eyes lifted to Tony's before she spoke again.

"After that, things changed. I was treated differently amongst my own family. Verbally and occasionally physical, I was hurt. The Raj took care of it. What had happened wasn't my fault and it isn't something I can make go away. I still get grief every now and then and the looks...I still get those. Few members treat me like I actually belong," she explained.

He regretted asking after he got his answer. The look of pain in her eyes was fairly strong, and he was sorry he had been the one to cause it. He tried to be a gentleman while still his goofy self. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," he said once she was done. He then thought on what she said, and he could honestly relate to it.

"If...it counts for anything I know how you feel. The only one who's willing to talk to me like a normal person is my cousin, Amber," he said sighing some, "everyone else thinks I'm this frail, sick thing that needs to be either pampered or completely ignored. Well...Amber gave me a shadow that's not great...but at least for the most part she treats me like everyone else." He smiles a bit.

"They just don't seem to realize that it's not our fault that things happen, but seem to still blame us for said events," he said grumbling a little to show he didn't like that at all.

Ruby smiled and shook her head slightly. "It's fine. Things aren't that bad anymore," she said, smiling warmly. Running a hand through her hair, she tilted her head as Tony said he knew how she felt. She wasn't sure if that was even possible. However, as he began to speak and explain what was going on with him, she realized that he did know some of how she'd felt.

"Isn't that the truth," she asked rhetorically. Sighing softly, her gaze wandered around the room again before turning back to the male. "So, other than boxing what have you been up to lately," she asked, her head tilting in the curious cat-like way.

He thought a bit on what else he did other than boxing. He really couldn't think of hobby wise what he did. "Well...I like to work out. Helps keep me fit for boxing," he said with a thoughtful tone, "watching movies. Preferably the sci-fi stuff. Fantasy and horror just hit a little too close to home you know?" He said grinning a bit before thinking again. He really didn't do much out side of boxing.

"Well...nothing really I guess. It's a little hard to make friends in the Streak...and then norms get nervous because of the shadow," he shrugs his shoulders some, "I pretty much spend as much time as I can down in the ring right now." He answered looking to her. He knew she was taken, but he couldn't help but look at her. Her hair was a nice red, and her body slender. So far she even seemed really nice. A nice good girl, and she was with another guy already. How he envied that guy.

The silent, sneaky thought slipped in that the guy wasn't bad looking either, and he quickly pushed that thought away. Instead he decided to find out who he is. "So who is the guy that picks you up?" he asked her curiously.

Ruby waited in silence to hear what he had to say. As he began to speak, she listened, making sure to put what he said to memory. If they were going to have a friendship, she would have to remember how he reacted and spoke about certain things. Hearing that fantasy and horror hit close to home, she nodded a bit. "I get that. Though certain horror movies I like. I guess it just depends," she said, shrugging a little bit.

When he mentioned it being hard to make friends, she couldn't help but frown a bit. She didn't understand why the Streak acted the way they did. Out of every species she knew, they were most concerned with purity. In Ruby's eyes though, family was family, regardless of their species. It was sad, but true. The panwere was grateful that she'd never had to deal with a shadow. If she did, there was no doubt she would have caused a hell of a lot of trouble. And it most likely wouldn't have been pretty. She had a temper when she didn't like something.

Her thoughts shifted gears as he asked about the guy that picked her up. Her eyes sparkled and the smile on her face grew a little bit. For some reason, mention of him always caused butterflies to appear in her stomach. "That would be Dominic. He's my boyfriend. He's also the bodyguard for our Raj," she said, her eyes briefly taking on a distant look as she thought about things that had happened lately. It was a very brief moment and her gaze was normal again as she offered Tony another smile.

He blushed a bit at the look that came to her face when he asked about the guy. He had been right when he guessed it was her man. "He seems really sweet on you so that's good," he said smiling a bit. He then stretched out some, and looked at her a bit lazy like now that he was distracted from his reading.

"So how's the training going?" he asked her after a moment. He was curious to know what it was like. Yes he had it years ago, but...to handle and train with a beast was something different. Something he would never experience himself in his entire life. He wouldn't mind to know what he was missing out on.

Ruby smiled a bit more at Tony's words. Clearly she and Dom were very open about their relationship. She had to admit, it was nice. Besides, as long as they weren't having sex out in public, she was fairly certain that no one would complain. It had been ages since the panwere had been truly happy. Happy to the point where she was smiling almost all the time. When she was with Dominic, that smile was seemingly glued into place. She'd kept her eyes on him from day one. Sure, she thought he was nothing more than a prankster and she wondered how he'd managed to be the bodyguard for the Raj. But over time, she realized that there was a lot more to him than she initially thought.

As Tony brought up another question, she had to force her brain to shift gears. Mentally, she slapped herself for getting so lost in thought about the clouded leopard. After her mind switched its train of thought, she shrugged a bit. "It's going alright. Hasn't worn me completely out yet. I'd like to get it to where I don't fall asleep right after, you know?" She shook her head a bit wryly at that thought. She and Mei would have to work on that a lot more.

He gave a teasing grin, "No I don't know...but I can imagine." He said chuckling lightly. He then become somber and looks over to her. "You know...sometimes...I wish I was a shifter. Just to see what makes them think they have the right to be so high and mighty with me....but it's rare. I like being normal...and I still get the perks of cool eyes," he said laughing a little.

There was a hushing sound that came from the desk after his laugh. He chuckled quietly at that, and then looked back to Ruby. "So do you get any time to yourself, or is it all training?" He asked her curiously.

Ruby couldn't help but roll her eyes a bit at his statement. Everyone knew what it was like to do something and then have the urge to sleep right away. Hers just happened to be after a training session. She tilted her head slightly at his comment about shifters thinking themselves high and mighty with him. The words caused her to tense slightly. She'd never treated him as anything less nor anything more than a person. The same way she herself was treated.

"I get time to myself, yes. I train with Mei three days a week and every other moon. I train with the Pard whenever training goes on. Unless I'm exhausted from working with Mei," she said, offering a small shrug.

Antonio noticed the tense moment after he mentioned how shifters seemed to consider them better then him, and he winced a bit. "Sorry Ruby...I know not all of the shifters think that way. I should have worded that better," he said in apology to her. He sometimes forgot that it was mostly the tigers that were that way. Thinking them all righteous because they were born into it.

He then listened as Ruby explained she was only over three time a week, "Oh I thought it was more then that. Though I'm sure you'll get the hang of things." He smiled a bit to her, "I mean you got leopard down pretty good...and you at least already know what to expect when it comes to the training." He said trying to make it seem a little more cheerful.

"How long is your training suppose to go on for?" he asked curiously.

At his apology, the panwere offered a slight smile and a small shrug. "It's okay. I'm just...touchy when it comes to stuff like that," she admitted. Aside from Jon and Dominic, not many knew that. She wasn't thrilled to be a panwere, let alone be part tiger. She knew what their reputation was and she hated it immensely. Mostly because of the grief she often got. Thankfully, much of that had long since died down.

"Well yeah, I've been a leopard for five years. Tiger only two," the red head reminded him. Naturally she had the leopard down. She knew that her leopard would remain dominant as long as she kept up training with it.

At his question, she thought it over for a moment before shrugging. "Actually, I'm not sure. Probably until I've gotten to beta. Won't need to worry about those messy shifts when one loses control," Ruby mused.

He smiled some, "well how's this...when ever I talk about stuck up shifters, I'm talking about the pure bred tigers." he said grinning, "considering you are dominantly Leopard you can be assured that does not include you." He chuckled lightly.

He then listened to how long she had been of each, and blinked some. "So...are you just now starting the tiger training then? I mean despite it being two years?" Antonio asked. He may not be a tiger, but that curiosity that seemed to lurk in felines was definitely still there.

He thought about messy shifts, and he had seen a few shift before. That goop that came with the shift did look messy and sticky. He normally didn't stick around shortly after shifting started. He smelled like meat to many of the tigers still. Not that Amber would let the tigers get that far, but...he'd rather not take the chance.

"Well...after your training is done we should still hang out," he said smiling, "it's refreshing to be able to talk with someone about...well..." he gives a little shrug and smile, "just talking." He then looked to his watch.

"How long is your break suppose to be? I wouldn't want to get you in trouble by keeping you longer," Antonio said looking over to her again.

Ruby couldn't help but laugh softly and nod. "Alright, that sounds like a plan," she said, the gaze of her leopard looking at him for a moment. Just as fast as it had appeared, the leopard was gone.

At his question, she smiled a little and shook her head. "No, I've been training for almost as long as I've been a tiger. If I hadn't, it would have been a risk to the Pard. The Raj wouldn't have accepted that," the panwere said with a small shrug.

When he mentioned still hanging out, she had to smile. It was nice knowing that even though he was amongst the tigers, he didn't have the attitude that many of them did. "Hanging out is a for sure," Ruby said with a smile. She saw his gaze to his watch and at his question, she looked to the clock on the wall. "I should probably get back. If you want, maybe you can walk with me," she offered.

He rolled out of the seat to a standing position that was almost as fluid as a shifters. Walking over to Ruby, he offered her a hand to help her up out of the chair. "Well...I am a gentleman and to refuse such an offer would not be right," he said grinning and giving her a playful wink, "so Ruby I shall accept the invitation to walk with you." He then gave a little bow to her still all smiles and sparkles in the eyes. A sparkle that would possibly reflect the same humorous sparkle in Dominic's eyes now and then.

"So where does this training of yours takes place at?" He asked her once she stood up, and he offered her his arm. It would help of him leading if he knew where Mei did her training at. Mei was...something different in itself. She was perhaps the only oriental person he knew that was tiger. He knew that the Tigers came from Japan and china, but he had never met one that was of that culture still, except for Mei. So he found her a unique thing to watch now and then...so long as he didn't irritate her with his watching.

As he stood, Ruby couldn't help but take notice of how fluid his movement was. It was a little shocking to say the least, but she wasn't about to question, Instead, she smiled and took his hand, allowing him to help her up. The wink and bow caused a giggle to escape her lips, her own hazel eyes sparkling with amusement. If nothing else, Tony definitely knew how to make her laugh. "Excellent."

Looping her arm through his, Ruby's head swiveled to look at him upon the query. "We're finishing up at the Aria Estate," she said, knowing that he would know where that was. If not, she didn't know who was his clone. She and Mei trained at a variety of places and almost always finished at the Estate of either streak or pard. It made things a lot easier for both of them.

He gave a nod as he reached the door, and held it open for her to step out of the library. Once they were both out he offered his arm to her again. When she mentioned Mei's name, he became a little quiet and thoughtful. The weretiger was a year younger then him, and yet she was already doing training with others. He admired, respected, and liked Mei. Out of everyone in the Streak she was the only one who didn't really treat him different. Well her and Ruby, but Ruby was considered more pard then streak.

"Oh well good then. I don't have to worry about my shadow," he said a bit cheerfully, and then grinned down to her, "though I think they'd consider you escort enough if it was back on pard land." He said chuckling a little. He resisted to ask her how Mei was doing. After all he saw Mei more often then her, and he didn't want Mei to think that he stalked her or anything.

"Is it just control over the exhaustion today from shifting?" he asked curiously. He wasn't sure what else the training involved. Once he had been told that he wouldn't be going through it, he never thought of it again and didn't pay attention.

As he opened the door, the panwere gave a warm and appreciative smile. Stepping out into the sun, she smiled more as both of her felines stretched. They were tired of being cooped up and she couldn't blame them. When training was done, she would let one of them free and then run out and about for a while before returning back to the pard lands. That actually sounded like a wonderful idea.

His statement caused her to laugh some and she nodded in agreement. "I'm sure the pard wouldn't mind my training there, but I have a feeling all they would do is stare. I've had enough of that for quite a while," she said, her eyes rolling some at that thought. The staring made her feel like she was on display. Though since she'd been with them for so long and now that she was with Dominic, much of it had disappeared. Both he and Jon were doing their damnedest to make sure that she was treated just like every other member. Even if she wasn't.

"It's that along with making sure I'm able to keep the tiger contained with high levels of stress and other emotions," she said, nodding some. It made her think that if anything happened between Dom and herself, she would need to have control over her tiger. The last thing she needed was to shift while the two of them were doing something.

"Starring? Well I don't blame them," he said grinning at her to tease, "you are quite attractive..." he said and then quickly bit his cheek before he went too far. He had a bad habit sometimes of saying more then he should. He did shove his hands into his pockets while still making it comfortable for Ruby to hold onto his arm as he walked her back to the Streak house.

He then looked over to her, "What does Mei do to stimulate that? I mean...she's the sweetest person in the streak. I just...can't imagine it." He said honestly as he tried, and his face just came up blank to show he was failing. He then thought about, for the hundredth time, of asking her out...but...she made him so damn nervous thinking like that, that he never did. After all she was the first one to be nice to him despite everything. He didn't want to ruin the friendship.

Antonio then looked away from her again. His thought process moving once more as he wondered what it would be like if he had had a tiger. He was sure he'd have a few more friends in the Streak. He would hope strong too considering him and his cousin were the last of their lines. Then the thought of the responsibility due to that caused him to shiver a little.

His compliment caused her smile to brighten while a slight blush covered her cheeks. "You're sweet," she murmured, her eyes briefly going to his face. Antonio was most definitely attractive and if she didn't like Dominic as much as she did, then maybe she would consider something more. But when it came down to it, Dominic was the only one that she really felt for.

His question roused her from the thoughts and Ruby couldn't help but laugh. "Mei is a sweetheart, there's no denying that. But when she has to, she can get fierce. Sometimes a simple reminder of how the Pard first was after my second infection. High emotions like sadness...I'm really glad that she's doing my training. She may be younger than me, but she's good at what she does," the red head said, nodding as though that would make solid what she had said.