Snippet #1723315

The unmistakable sound of metal on metal filled the air. Brendon narrowed his eyes, glare fixed on his foe, still standing so obstinate and proud in front of him. The sweat on his brow was proof of their hard struggle, wrestling with each other for the last twenty minutes, and still Brendon was no closer to winning. Though he wasnt about to give up.

Again he raised the blades, the sunlight glinting across their whole length. Time seemed to stop as he took a breath, tensed, then made his move. The steel in his hand slid smoothly, closing over a limb of his most hated opponent, slicing through it clean with a heavy snap.

"Goddamnit!"

Frowning, Brendon threw the shears to the floor and turned away from the bonsai, swearing further inside his head. He was mauling it. Again. How could something so simple as trimming a tree escape him every single time? Every time he tried to trim the thing he screwed up somehow, taking off too much, or slipping and hacking off a branch he hadnt meant to. It had been a gift from his master. A reminder of the life he'd promised to preserve from that moment forward, and yet every time he went near it, the tree seemed to be wilting further. How was he expected to be able to look after people if he couldnt even keep a tree alive?

Briefly, he considered picking up the shears and trying to finish the job, but knew that as frustrated as he was, he'd just screw it up further. Taking a deep breath, he rocked back on his heels, eyes rising to the cloudless sky. He'd spent several hours sparring and running through kata this morning and had been instructed to see to the ornamental gardens as was his duty. It was a beautiful day, and a walk in the park would calm his nerves. Maybe then he'd be calm enough to finish trimming the damned tree without tearing it to pieces. The rest of the students were probably finishing their days training right now. Should be long enough for him to make it there and back. Four miles. That'd take him, what, twenty minutes, maybe half an hour, tops?

Barely two minutes later and he was jogging out through the final gate, saluting the Nio that stood guard on either side as he ran through. The park was barely a mile away, no distance at all, and in truth he was relishing the run. It had been a two weeks since he'd left the dojo. Too long. Getting out would do him some good. In all truth, Brendon was bored of the near constant training. It wasnt the training itself. No, stretching his muscles, challenging himself constantly and most importantly, getting ever closer to mastering his art, that was exciting. It was just being stuck in the same place, with the same few people. It was driving him crazy, bit by bit.

Lost in his own thoughts, he didnt realise he'd already hit the park until he almost ran into a girl coming the other way. Laughing to himself, he stopped, stretching and glancing around. Just another typical day, kids out with their parents, a few young couples out walking, one girl practicing kata for her excited grandmother...

His brows wrinkled. A girl practicing kata for her granny? Now that was interesting. Padding closer, he leant against a nearby tree, dark eyes watching her every move.