There was a lot more to Sensei Kreese helping me than that.
[She slowly takes in a breath. It's not an easy topic for her to talk about, but Robby's earned that trust from her.]
After the big school fight...I was held in juvie for a while before the judge decided to put me on probation because I was the caregiver for my mom and brother. It wasn't too long, but it was enough to put me behind financially. Even with working doubles I didn't have enough to make up the rent.
[She'd picked up every shift that she could, got her brother to cut all the coupons out for grocery stores that he could so she could stretch their food budget as much as possible...and it still wasn't enough.]
My scumbag of a landlord didn't want to hear any excuses for late rent. He was going to kick us out and leave us homeless. His only "helpful" offer was...definitely not an option I wanted to take him up on.
[She makes the air quotes, scowling as she recalls that conversation.]
Basically, sleep with him and I wouldn't have to worry about rent.
[The part that gnaws at her is that she'd been desperate enough that she almost took him up on it anyway, just to protect her mother and brother.]
But just as I was faced with that choice, Sensei Kreese showed up to check up on me because I hadn't been to class. He offered to waive my fees, and when he found out about my situation, he went to talk to Rodney the scumbag. And then all of the sudden, I was being offered a month of free rent and he was super polite and understanding.
[That elicits a smile out of her.]
Wish I could have overheard that conversation. I bet Sensei Kreese scared the shit out of him.
[ He tugs a small smile on his face too, though it's dampened from what it could be with a reveal like that. Robby can't say that Kreese did anything wrong there--fuck that guy, basically--and even if his own feelings on the man are complicated, he knows this isn't the time for it.
Instead, he sets a hand on Tory's arm, and brushes the smile back onto his face. ]
I'm glad he was there for you for that. ...and if he shows up, I'm not gonna argue about him staying over. [ Jokingly, with a tip of his head: ] This technically was your place first. And you put up with my family drama.
[ ... well, he could say how Kreese counts in that, but let's not. ]
I owe him for letting me stay in the dojo, anyway.
I don't think I'd want him living at our house in the long term. He probably wouldn't want to live with a teenage couple for too long anyway even if it's us. We can help him get adjusted to this place, and I'll make him some supplies.
[It's repayment for the kindnesses he did show them both, and maybe they could redirect him away from rehashing old rivalries. Possibly. Hard to say. It's a new life with new opportunities and they'll never know if he'd embrace that if they don't try.]
I'm not going to get caught up in karate drama because of him anymore, but I will help him with other stuff. If he hadn't told Mrs.LaRusso about my situation, it probably would have taken me a lot longer to start therapy. She confronted me at one of my jobs in protective mama bear mode, and I got fired. Sensei Kreese probably just told her so she wouldn't do it again.
[Despite the rocky start with Amanda, she smiles fondly as she thinks of the woman.]
He kind of underestimated Mrs.LaRusso's compassion, though. She and Mr.LaRusso eventually worked out a deal with me. They'd sign off on letting me go back into school, if I agreed to stay away from Sam and talk to a therapist or guidance counselor about my issues. That made it even more important to me to fight fair at the All Valley. I wanted to be honorable, you know?
[ Yeah, Robby couldn't imagine the man wanting to stay with them for long. Would he even ask? It'd have to be Tory's idea first, probably.
But he listens, and to the last of what Tory says, he gives her a small smile; manages to keep the wince internal these days when he thinks about the tournament, and his part. Tory's fights were different. ]
Yeah. That's the thing about Cobra Kai; it didn't teach about finding a different way, or seeking help. It was always fighting for yourself. [ Which they can both see, and can accept easier now, given this entire conversation. ] But we got some good out of our time there. Gotta look at the good parts too, right?
I don't think you would've looked at me twice if I gave up karate. [ There is that. ]
Some fighting for yourself is good. Knowing that you can deal with a threat that comes your way is important. Same with being resourceful and trying to solve problems on your own.
[Perhaps she wouldn't have chosen things to be as hard as they had been for her - certainly she wishes her mother was in good health. But she does know she likely still would have chosen to get a job as soon as she was old enough and would have been just as determined to graduate from high school.]
But Cobra Kai takes things to extremes. There's nothing wrong with an aggressive fighting style on its own. It's just...Cobra Kai didn't distinguish between being assertive and being assholes.
[She smiles a bit.]
I think if I ever became Sensei Nichols some day, I'd try to teach that kind of balance. Do no harm, but take no shit.
[It's a long way off, but that's a possibility worth further consideration now that she's voiced it aloud.]
Probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to get to know you without karate. It's not like our social circles overlapped much until you joined Cobra Kai. We might have seen each other around the probation office sometimes. We definitely wouldn't have gone to prom without Cobra Kai.
Sensei Nichols, huh? [ Now let's think about that for a second, a fun smile tugging onto Robby's lips. ] With your own school, or working with other senseis? Got a colour picked out?
[ He's only slightly teasing by the end there, but she brought it up--can't he help be curious? ]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2023-01-29 08:02 pm (UTC)[She slowly takes in a breath. It's not an easy topic for her to talk about, but Robby's earned that trust from her.]
After the big school fight...I was held in juvie for a while before the judge decided to put me on probation because I was the caregiver for my mom and brother. It wasn't too long, but it was enough to put me behind financially. Even with working doubles I didn't have enough to make up the rent.
[She'd picked up every shift that she could, got her brother to cut all the coupons out for grocery stores that he could so she could stretch their food budget as much as possible...and it still wasn't enough.]
My scumbag of a landlord didn't want to hear any excuses for late rent. He was going to kick us out and leave us homeless. His only "helpful" offer was...definitely not an option I wanted to take him up on.
[She makes the air quotes, scowling as she recalls that conversation.]
Basically, sleep with him and I wouldn't have to worry about rent.
[The part that gnaws at her is that she'd been desperate enough that she almost took him up on it anyway, just to protect her mother and brother.]
But just as I was faced with that choice, Sensei Kreese showed up to check up on me because I hadn't been to class. He offered to waive my fees, and when he found out about my situation, he went to talk to Rodney the scumbag. And then all of the sudden, I was being offered a month of free rent and he was super polite and understanding.
[That elicits a smile out of her.]
Wish I could have overheard that conversation. I bet Sensei Kreese scared the shit out of him.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-29 10:51 pm (UTC)[ He tugs a small smile on his face too, though it's dampened from what it could be with a reveal like that. Robby can't say that Kreese did anything wrong there--fuck that guy, basically--and even if his own feelings on the man are complicated, he knows this isn't the time for it.
Instead, he sets a hand on Tory's arm, and brushes the smile back onto his face. ]
I'm glad he was there for you for that. ...and if he shows up, I'm not gonna argue about him staying over. [ Jokingly, with a tip of his head: ] This technically was your place first. And you put up with my family drama.
[ ... well, he could say how Kreese counts in that, but let's not. ]
I owe him for letting me stay in the dojo, anyway.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-29 11:50 pm (UTC)[It's repayment for the kindnesses he did show them both, and maybe they could redirect him away from rehashing old rivalries. Possibly. Hard to say. It's a new life with new opportunities and they'll never know if he'd embrace that if they don't try.]
I'm not going to get caught up in karate drama because of him anymore, but I will help him with other stuff. If he hadn't told Mrs.LaRusso about my situation, it probably would have taken me a lot longer to start therapy. She confronted me at one of my jobs in protective mama bear mode, and I got fired. Sensei Kreese probably just told her so she wouldn't do it again.
[Despite the rocky start with Amanda, she smiles fondly as she thinks of the woman.]
He kind of underestimated Mrs.LaRusso's compassion, though. She and Mr.LaRusso eventually worked out a deal with me. They'd sign off on letting me go back into school, if I agreed to stay away from Sam and talk to a therapist or guidance counselor about my issues. That made it even more important to me to fight fair at the All Valley. I wanted to be honorable, you know?
no subject
Date: 2023-01-30 05:42 pm (UTC)But he listens, and to the last of what Tory says, he gives her a small smile; manages to keep the wince internal these days when he thinks about the tournament, and his part. Tory's fights were different. ]
Yeah. That's the thing about Cobra Kai; it didn't teach about finding a different way, or seeking help. It was always fighting for yourself. [ Which they can both see, and can accept easier now, given this entire conversation. ] But we got some good out of our time there. Gotta look at the good parts too, right?
I don't think you would've looked at me twice if I gave up karate. [ There is that. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-01-30 08:30 pm (UTC)[Perhaps she wouldn't have chosen things to be as hard as they had been for her - certainly she wishes her mother was in good health. But she does know she likely still would have chosen to get a job as soon as she was old enough and would have been just as determined to graduate from high school.]
But Cobra Kai takes things to extremes. There's nothing wrong with an aggressive fighting style on its own. It's just...Cobra Kai didn't distinguish between being assertive and being assholes.
[She smiles a bit.]
I think if I ever became Sensei Nichols some day, I'd try to teach that kind of balance. Do no harm, but take no shit.
[It's a long way off, but that's a possibility worth further consideration now that she's voiced it aloud.]
Probably wouldn't have had the opportunity to get to know you without karate. It's not like our social circles overlapped much until you joined Cobra Kai. We might have seen each other around the probation office sometimes. We definitely wouldn't have gone to prom without Cobra Kai.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-31 03:11 pm (UTC)[ He's only slightly teasing by the end there, but she brought it up--can't he help be curious? ]