trains with murphy

"Hey, Murphy," I called. "When are you gonna stop picking on little kids and fight someone your own size?"
Murphy flicked her tail over her shoulder, her eyes shining. "Come say that to my face, Dresden."
"Give me a minute to amputate my legs and I will," I responded. I took my shoes off and set them against the wall, along with my duster. Murphy got a smooth wooden staff about five feet long from a rack on the wall. I took my staff into a square marked in tape on the mat, and we bowed to each other.
We warmed up with a simple sequence, alternating strikes in a steady, working rhythm, wooden staves clacking solidly. Murphy didn't start pushing for more speed. "Haven't seen you for almost two weeks. You flaking out on this self-defense notion?"
"No," I said, keeping my voice down. "Been on a job. Finished it up last night." I lost focus, slipped up in the sequence, and Murphy's staff banged down hard on the fingers of my left hand. "Hell's bells, ow!"
"Concentrate, wimp." Murphy gave me a second to shake my fingers, and then she started again from the beginning. "You've got something on your mind."

Blood Rites Chapter 6, Page 44


We finished the sequence, backed a step away, and bowed to each other. Murphy walked with me to the edge of the mat, frowning and mulling things over. "I don't want to sidestep any laws. Vampire hunting is one thing. Going vigilante is another."
"Done," I said.
She frowned. "And I'd really, really like it if we did it on Saturday."
I snorted. "If we go early, maybe you can get laid up in the hospital or something, at least."
"Ha- ha," Murphy said.
"Do me a favor and keep an eye on missing persons for a few days. It might help tip us off to their location. I want every bit of information I can get."
"Gotcha," Murphy said. "You want to work on some hand-to-hand?"
I picked up my duster. "Can't. Got to be on the new job in half an hour."
"Harry, aikido is a demanding discipline. If you don't practice every day, you're going to lose what you've learned."
"I know, I know. But it isn't like I can depend on a routine from day to day."
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing," Murphy said. She held my staff for me while I put on my coat and abruptly frowned as she handed it back.

Blood Rites Chapter 6, Page 48-49