4 Coach Ron

Standing in front of the glass door of a white building with a sign that says, 'Ravenhall Kali Martial Arts Center'. Together, the couple went inside and headed straight to the front desk. They were then greeted by an Asian-looking man in his mid-thirties. His hair brushed neatly, beard cleanly shaven, and the way that he walked towards the two looked dignified. He is giving a vibe like that of a warrior you can see in historical movies but at the same time, welcoming. He looked strong and fierce but not the type that would make you pee in your pants when you suddenly met him in a dark hallway.

"Welcome to the Ravenhall Kali Martial Arts Center. I'm Ron, the instructor here. You can call me Coach Ron or just Ron, it's up to you. Now then, how can I help you two?" he smiled dashingly making the corner of his eyes wrinkle.

The two looked at each other before nodding. "We're here to learn Kali, I'm Zachary but please call me Zach. This is Odette, my girlfriend." the corner of Ron's lips lifted slightly as if he discovered something interesting. He finds the couple in front of him now rather amusing. Why you say? Because it is very rare for a couple to learn martial arts together. Well, in their center at least. Also, the people that usually enroll at the center are either, martial arts enthusiasts, people who wanted to look cool with their moves, curious ones, or those who truly wished to learn the art to defend themselves from danger. He was wondering which category this couple belongs to.

Also, there is something about them that he cannot point his finger to. Yes, they indeed look like your typical couple but there is something about their aura which he himself is very familiar with. He used to train navy soldiers, rangers, and even actors and stunt doubles. And oh boy! They are exuding the same aura! And their eyes! That's not the look a normal person would have! It's the same to a soldier who had been to war multiple times already. You cannot see the usual liveliness of the youth but instead, they look dead. Their eyes flashed a certain determination but… tired. It made him wonder what kind of predicament they grew up in. Did they come from a strict military family? He wondered.

The two looked at him with anticipation and misplaced determination. As he just stood there like he is contemplating something. It made the young couple rather nervous somewhat since they're afraid that they would just be brushed off instead since they don't look that much of a sporty type. But their worries were needless.

"Hmm… Great!! Then I welcome you both but let me remind you, we don't play around here. Regardless of gender, we train you equally hard. And it's not the type that you see in sports competitions. Rather than a martial art, it would be more appropriate to call Kali a 'killing art' instead. What, you still want to join?" he didn't say that to discourage them but rather, he is trying to gauge their determination. Whether they are the type to stick around until the end or just here to entertain their curious selves.

After filling in some papers, they were then led to the training area. They will be starting tomorrow so today is just a tour for them to familiarize the place. They learned that the center was divided into three different parts. The first is the one that you see at the entrance. In there, you can see the front desk, chairs in the corner, and on the other side are the bathroom and the dressing room. Second is your typical gym. According to Coach Ron, this is where they will be conditioning their bodies. They can't just practice out of the bat, they needed to prepare their bodies so they won't suffer from unnecessary injuries. And lastly, the third one is the actual area where you will be learning Kali. It's wide and the room was surrounded by mirrors while the floor was fully matted.

*****

"Odette, I don't think what we're doing is enough," Zach whispered into her ears while caressing her back. She's still on his lap with her head on his shoulders. She just hummed with her eyes close, urging him to continue.

"We need to learn how to defend ourselves. Also, we still have some mortgages to pay!" His tone sounded menacingly dark. And even without looking, she knew that he is smirking as he exuded some killing intent.

And that brought us to the present.

"Thank you for visiting the Ravenhall Kali Martial Arts Center. See you tomorrow for your first ever lesson." Satisfied, Zach and Odette went to buy some gym clothes and other necessities. They can hardly wait to be beaten to a pulp by their new coach.