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A bit of light training was always good to improve one's mood.
After all, exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. And happy people... Were less likely to be bitter about life in general. Which, given the witch's general predilection toward presenting as cheerful a face for the populace as possible, was something she strove for. And though there was rather little to honestly to vex Belladonna in any sort of intense way, there was always something to make her smile want to call it quits. As she was rather practiced in the art of stubbornness, the witch had yet to actually give in to these wants, but she was getting close.
Which was where the whole training thing came in!

Dressed in a rather simplified version of her normal outfit, one much more suited to lots of moving around, the witch sashayed her way toward the gym, humming lightly to herself. Honestly, she hoped she would spot someone she knew along the way so that she could challenge them for a bit of fun, but the gymnasium seemed rather empty that day. Rumors of gnomes kidnapping students had begun to spread so she thought it only natural that people might want to play it safe away from those terribly pervasive little creatures, but Belladonna wasn't bothered.
She merely continued on her way with a skip in her step, convinced that beating up a dummy would be for the betterment of all.

Having met no one on her way through the gym, nor anyone when she actually got to the sparring areas, Belladonna was satisfied to just spend some time alone. After all, she had intended that to begin with so it wasn't much of a derailment of plans to have things go exactly as they should. It was honestly more of a surprise that something didn't go wrong, which was most likely why when someone called out to her, she turned around with honest surprise on her features. But they quickly culled to cool civility when she realized exactly who it was calling her out. The witch cured her mouth into a sweet smile, her entire demeanor changing into something syrupy sweet though her eyebrows could not help tilting down into a warning glance.
"Oh! Good afternoon A.J. What a splendid surprise." Though her words may sound polite, there was an icy edge to them as she made a show of pushing some red curls off her shoulder. Very few people elicited such a response for the ghoul, for she found herself getting along with most everyone. It was a surprise that such a boil continually gave her troubles, especially one so young and petulant, but the witch was perfectly content to let him continue as such.
Especially if it meant she got to have her own bit of fun.

Careful to put on as regal an air as possible (she had been named Queen twice, after all), the witch moved closer, batting her lashes at him.
"So! What brings one such as yourself to the gymnasium?" Though she would never admit it, Belladonna was doing her best to bait him.
"Come to brush up on some skills? How did you do in the House Cup, by the by?" She was just begging him to ask about how she did so she could airily tell him she'd defeated her opponent in two hits.
"And how have you been? I see you are still a part of the school so that must mean someone has been giving you orders you see fit to follow."

Bitter about his insolence all that time ago in the snow or his wishy-washy devotion to their King? No, not Belladonna!

"One would expect to find a spar in the gymnasium, as that is its intended purpose. I am glad you deduced that one for yourself." The witch replied with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. It was not often she got to verbally assault someone, not when she usually was so nice to people, so to be given the opportunity now seemed rather important. Especially given how later on she might feel guilty for her actions. For now, however, Belladonna was vastly pleased to play the part of sweetness with a bite.
Mildly put off to see him smiling so sweetly, the witch was careful to school her own smile to turn brighter at his excitement, though she was happy to dial it back down when he dropped his smile. The blush went unnoticed and the witch shrugged at his reply.
"Fun? Is that what you are after? My, what an odd thing. Here I thought you were after trouble." Both hands flapped through the air in a nonchalant manner.

With a turn the witch moved from him to click-clack her way toward an empty part of the gym. As though the thought had just struck her (it hadn't at all, she knew exactly what she was doing), she twirled around fast enough that her curls splayed out before bouncing around her.
"But you did mention a spar! Gracious me, I was looking for one too but... Oh dear... I do so think I might hurt you in a fight so perhaps we should not..." Insulting one's fighting skills was always a recipe for success!

A momentary raise of her eyebrows was the only indication the witch would give that she was surprised by AJ's response, but her face quickly leveled out. For whatever reason she had not expected him to admit something like that, but the more she considered it the more she realized how silly that was of her. He was the type of boil who liked to stir the pot wherever he went, especially when he knew he had such a willing participant like Belladonna. As much as she disliked playing into what people expected of her, there was little she could do to curb the fact that she had been baited by him. If this underclassman wanted to poke and prod her until she got angry, there was little she could do, especially since he'd already gotten her to snap once before.
"Funny, isn't it?" The witch drawled in a syrupy voice as one hand came up to tap against her chin. "You say entertainment as thought it is different from trouble, but I think you have not realized that your brand of fun is always going to be trouble."

About to say something else about a spar, the witch paused when he mentioned dissipation. Finally, her expression turned serious and she took a few steps toward him, eyebrows drawn sharply down over pink eyes.
"While dissipation is not the worst end, I'll have you know that I would never actively seek to make anyone dissipate." Turning so she could give him a glare from the side of her eye, Belladonna squared her shoulders in what essentially equated to a challenge.
"That is not proper, and it is vastly rude. I would hope you know me better than that." Of all things, the witch was not rude.