Lactose and Tolerant

He corrected his stance and began the steady rhythm again. He knew this wasn't making him any stronger. Well, it was but not in any real significant way. Sure his arms would get stronger as he kept jabbing at the rock, his punches would certainly get FASTER, but hitting the rock itself seemed to only be adding to the damage he already had on his hands. If he really wanted to get stronger he'd need to actually go to the gym, or at least someplace that offered weights to lift.

Regardless he kept punching.

The training wasn't really about getting stronger after all. It was about having something regular in his life. Something that kept his days on a schedule so he could actually get shit done rather than sleep till noon every day. Well, that and having an excuse to hang out with Milk.

He considered her for a moment. She was a bit of an enigma despite having spent so much time with her. She generally didn't talk unless spoken to and had a curt manner that others seemed to blame on her simple nature. Even what he did manage to pry out of her was vague and didn't really tell him much. If their relationship hadn't developed how it had he very much doubted he would be spending any time with her at all. It was hard to trust someone who shut down whenever you tried to learn more about them.

Eventually he let his arms drop to his sides, shaking off the numbness in his knuckles.

"Well, lets start with something simple then. What do you want to know about people?"

@King

Murphys hands unwittingly balled up at her question. He'd already sent two to the infirmary for insulting his muscular friend and it was getting harder to keep them quiet as it was.

"Who.... who told you that you were den- nevermind we'llama deal with that later. Yes they mean it as an insult. 'Dense' in this instance refers to having a thick skull which in turn means having a smaller brain."

He struck the rock again wih surprising speed.

"They'really calling you stupid."

Which was a problem. Sure sticks and stones etcetera etcetera, but Milk was an instructor at the school. She represented authority at the academy that needed to be respected regardless of shortcomings. An unsteady, angry rhythm beat out upon the rock each punch channeling a little more rage than before.

"The first thing you should know is that as a whole, humanity is rotten. We hurt people for the sake of doing so, we disparage others who attempt to do what they love, and despite all this we have the arrogance, the sheer FUCKING arrogance to believe we are good people."

He felt something in his hand crack, but kept on punching.

"The best thing to remeber is that most people can't be trusted."

@King

Murphys first reaction was to wrench away from Milk. He was annoyed, really, by how people kept interfering with whatever he was doing. Apparently now he couldn't even train as he liked without someone interfering 'for his own good'.

For your own good, fuck he hated that phrase.

In most cases it was used by well intentioned people who believed they had not only the knowledge but the god damned RIGHT to control your life, while in the worst it was used as an excuse for tyranny. Milk was definitely the former of the two but a core part of Murphy's being resented any control, friendly or otherwise, on his actions.

He spat on the ground and strode back to his bag, refusing eye contact with her, untying his gloves as he moved. This was stupid, he had better things to do with his time than sit in the woods punching rocks. He needed to work on his path to immortality, to be researching beings who could give him that. Physical training would be pointless if he couldn't attain longevity.

"Yes, Milk, especially me. In a world where we're surrounded by literal gods and people who can control time and space, I'm just some random jackass who manages to eke out a living by doing everything I have to. I lie, I cheat, I steal, but most importantly I survive."

He tossed his gloves into the sack and flopped down next to it. "You're damn near invincible Milk, I don't expect you to understand the feeling of having to struggle to survive every fucking day. What it's like to be treated like a weakling and worse, wonder if it's true. But the one thing I've learned is that you can't trust anyone, not even yourself."

He cinched up his bag, "Any more questions?"

@King