Into the Woods | Ticci Toby

.6.

Maura blinked as she looked around the training grounds for the first time. The dirt ground was obviously well worn, and she could see racks of weapons lining the grass around the dirt courtyard. However, it was all she could do to ignore the dark stains that spotted the area that were seemingly still fresh. Toby walked past her, a large smile plastered on his face. He walked up towards one of the weapons racks, and then Toby pulled a pair of hatchets from the rack, almost cuddling them as he looked over them lovingly. "Slendy can't keep you from me forever~" He said in a singsong voice, and Maura quirked an eyebrow.

Toby noticed this, and his face flushed slightly. "He only lets me keep a few in my room, Maura. It's really not that weird." Maura, still not convinced, crossed her arms and walked over to another one of the racks. The sheer amount of weapons that the residents of Mr. S's house possessed astonished her. From long spears to a massive arrangement of different types of knives, she had never seen so much lethal equipment in one spot.

Maura ran her finger along the dull end of an eight inch knife blade, careful not to scuff the shiny medal. Who knows who's blade this is, Maura thought to herself. "Let's start, Maura." She turned to face the brunette, who stood in the center of the dirt area. He had pulled up his orange tinted goggles over his eyes for the first time since she had met him, but he still had not taken off his metal grate of a mouth guard yet. He motioned her to come over to him, breaking her stare, and she walked over towards him.

"You need to be physically adept to be a proxy successfully," Toby said with his arms crossed. Maura braided her hair as he spoke, the dark brown locks folding nicely into a single braid that rested just above the bottom of her shoulder blades. "Now, I have to test you to see how much you know already, and we can work from there. We have to do regular assessments from Timmy, but the first few that you'll have will be from me." Maura nodded, stretching her arms.

Maura had never been in a real fight before. She did not even have the luxury of attending an actual school, just the "homeschooling" that her mother and father decided was appropriate. However, the evasive maneuvers that she learned in her house? Also a concern. Her mind flitted back to what Felicia said yesterday, and she shuddered internally. Maura didn't know anything about Toby. He could be some kind of demon like Mr. S, or even a murderer. How did she know that he would stop once he got her on the ground?

"-ura? Hey, earth to Maura? You've got to pay attention during this!" Maura snapped out of her thoughts. Toby looked at her irritatedly, and she muttered an apology. His smile returned in full force, and he motioned for her to stand a couple of feet away from him. "So, I'll start," Toby said.

Maura gave him a weird look, but she barely got a second to think before Toby grabbed at her. She jumped back, trying to avoid the grip of Toby's hands, but it was difficult. He was obviously trained by someone who knew exactly what they were doing, and he flaunted it.

She ducked under his arm as his hand flew forward to grab her again, and she backed up from him. She could see the glint in his eyes as he swiveled around, sending shivers down her spine. Maura knew that this was meant to be a "friendly" spar, but suddenly, she wasn't so sure anymore.

He came at her once again, and this time, she let him get closer. As soon as he got within reaching distance, she dropped below his grip once again, but she grabbed his leg as she stood back at full height. Suddenly, Toby was on the floor.

However, grabbing a foot does not does not bode well for balance. Maura found herself on the ground with him. She looked down at him, smug in her takedown of him. Toby lay underneath her, whining about his back.

"I think I've won, hatchet man," Maura chuckled, her tone slightly teasing. Toby looked up at her, his eyes unreadable once again. Her smile faded from her face, confusion setting in. "Have you, Maura?" Toby asked, and before Maura could respond, he pulled his knee in front of Maura's leg and pushed up, flipping Maura over to the ground, him leaning over her.

"I'm not too sure about that," he laughed, and Maura could feel her face flush. Why couldn't he just let her win? She looked at his face, and the cold expression had left his face once again. He was back to being the sunny boy that she had met the first day, but that didn't just erase the way he had looked at her a second ago and when they were fighting.

"So cheeky," Maura mumbled, and she tried to sit up slightly. Toby hadn't gotten up quite yet, and Maura found herself face to face with him. His hair was in disarray, his orange goggles fogged up slightly from heavy breathing and the mouth guard was as present as always. The realization then hit her that she had never been so close to a guy before.

Toby finally noticed that he was still hovering over Maura, and he pulled back onto his feet. He offered a hand to her, and she took it, still slightly flushed. "You did well!" Toby said, the excitement back in his voice, "but we do need to work on your offense." Maura brushed herself off, nodding. Her mind was still like cotton, and she had no idea how Toby had no reaction. "Let's work on the defense moves, alright?" Maura nodded, listening intently again.

Maura spent the rest of the practice watching Toby's demonstrations and trying out the moves herself. She did not really get too far on toppling Toby over again, but he said that it was because "Maura wasn't strong enough yet." Maura hated to admit it, but not really going outside for seventeen years of your life could have some negative effects.

By the end of the training session, Maura was covered in dirt and sweat, exhausted. She had a few bruises here and there that she was sure that she would feel in the morning, but that was besides the point. She was getting to go back to the house and fall in her bed, finally. She and Toby made their way back to the house, the sun turning the back orange as it set below the pine trees. When they entered, she could smell something cooking, pasta perhaps. Maura looked over at the kitchen and saw a pair of striking green eyes peering back at her. Maura flinched backwards into Toby, hitting his shoulder. He looked at Maura, surprised, but he laughed when he saw who was staring at the two.

Sally, the little girl who spoke to Maura the night before, ran out from behind the wall she was hiding over to Toby, and he immediately scooped her up. "Are you sure you want me to hold you? I'm really smelly," Toby said in a funny voice, and Sally giggled. "I can't really smell you, so it's okay." She turned to Maura, and she smiled at her. "Do you want to come to my tea party?"

Sally's green eyes bore into her soul, and Maura took in a breath that she did not realize that she was holding. Something about her eyes made her feel compliant, and Maura didn't like it one bit. However, she bit her tongue about that part.

"Who all will be there?" Maura asked Sally, and she looked into the kitchen. "Oh, just a few of my friends. Teddy always likes new people, though!" A pang of pity struck Maura at that point. She knew the feeling of not having anyone her age around to play with, resorting to imaginary friends to help her get through the days.

"Sure Sally, I'll come to your tea party," Maura said with a slight smile. Sally, who Toby had put down at this point, hugged Maura and ran off. "It's at 7 PM sharp!" she said loudly as she ran back in the direction of her room. Maura shook her head, walking past Toby as she went to go get ready for her first party.