Introduction
Twenty years ago a man by the name of Yang Jian was one of the greatest martial artists the world had ever seen. In every competition he ever entered he took first place, he was highly ranked in what seemed like every martial art style there was, including those with weapons, and it seemed there was nothing he could not accomplish. Through a combination of his tournament winnings and a family fortune he was rich beyond imagining, and many people asked him to open a dojo and teach his way, but he never would. Never did he even take on a student to pass on his abilities. all of the motions had been set in place for him to become the most famously known name in the world, but then one day he simply disappeared...
Everyone feared the worst, but no one knew anything about the incident. It was as if he simply vanished. When the police went to search his home they found it empty, all of his possessions were gone, and all the servants and such could not be found for questioning. His personal guards didn't even know a thing. Days, weeks, months passed by and they kept searching, but to no avail. After a year a funeral was held for Jian, and a monument erected. Every year on that same day his friends, family, fans, the media, would all gather and say a prayer and such, hoping that if he were alive still he was well, and if not that his soul was resting peacefully. This went on for a few years, but eventually the name Yang Jian faded from the pages of newspapers, flickered off the TV, and was more or less forgotten by all but his biggest fans.
Now, twenty years have passed. A new generation of young fighters has been born, most of which have only heard of the old masters name, but never actually learned anything about him. They are competing in tournaments, for money, for glory, some for their lives, which for the most part are normal. That is, until one day, one the first day of spring, a certain number of young fighters receive a rather plain letter in the mail. The letters are actually small scrolls, with hand brushed words from Yang Jian himself, which read;
"Dear (your name here).
It is most likely that you have never heard the name Yang Jian, and even less likely you know how much meaning it once carried. And that is exactly why you must continue reading this letter.
I am Yang Jian, and many years ago I was the best martial artist around. I am still a master, however, I am now nearing the end of my journey through life, and so I am looking for a pupil to whom I can pass on the ancient arts I have learned over the course of my life. Please, do not think for a second that this will be like any training you've gone through in your life, for it is not. Death is always an option with this sort of style. Now, enclosed you will find, on the back of this letter, a map leading to my home on an island called Kohaku, as well as a simple talisman. If you are willing to give your life to become the next master, then please, come to my island school, and present this talisman, and your destiny will change forever..."
While the letter explained very little, most anyone who revived such a letter could look the information up online and would find archives of information on Master Jian, but very little on Kohaku Island. And as far as the talisman, it was very simple; a leather string with a simple yin yang medallion, and on the back was a small dragon etched into the metal.
For some of the fighters who revived this letter, the information above and the mentioned items were all they received, but for others, such as those who would never be able to afford such a journey on their own, a large sum of money was inclosed, so secure safe passage if they should attempt the journey, or whatever they liked if they simply kept it. And while several of these letters were delivered, only a small percentage of those who made the journey would even be allowed to enter the school to begin learning from the master and his people.
-=-=-=-
Basics-
20 years ago Yang Jian was one of the most well known named. He was a rich, famous martial artist, and yet no one could explain it when he disappeared suddenly. He was in good health, a master of self defense techniques, so no one knows what happened. Now it has been learned, by a select few, that he is not actually dead, and is in fact alive and well, if not late in his life. He owns a private island, Kohaku Island, located somewhere south-east of China.
What's your role here? Well, you can play 1 of 3 parts-
1) A new, younger fighter who received the letter and come to Kohaku to learn
2) An instructor on the island, who has been there anywhere from just a couple months to a few years
3) A member of the Island Guard, the security force on the island
Now, here are some RP rules to remember...
1)This is not just about the fighting, this is also about character development, and the way our characters change their perspectives after coming to this island. After all, they will be faced with the challenges set forth by Master Jian, as well as have to live with complete strangers on an island where there are no ways of outside communication
2)Weapons...big issue here...you can use weapons, but this rp will have very little, if any, killing, and once you are actually in the school you'll rarely use weapons anyway, unless it's an outside of class kind of thing. This is called School of the Fist for a reason after all
3)You are not a badass here, not really. Most everyone on the island who isn't a student has been chosen by Master Jian, who is a martial arts expert, so he wouldn't fill his spots with wimps, but with other masters. So, no, they are not invincible, but neither are you, you just can't go around beating people easily here
4)We only need people who will be dedicated to this rp and will try to help uphold the feel of the rp, meaning if you just wanna fight, we don't want you here, but if all you wanna do is talk, this is not the place for you either. The people who join this rp need to understand that it isn't just about development, or just about fighting, it's a culmination of the two experiences in one storyline
Now, character sheets-
Name: (dose not have to be Asian...)
Age: (16 at the youngest)
Style: (can be real, made up, or you don't even have to have a 'style')
Appearance: (what do you look like? Pics are okay, but you'll have to add a little to them, such as height and clothing and things of the sort, as you won't be wearing the same thing all the time...will you?)
Equipment: (anything you brought with you to the island)
Back Story: (why do you fight? How did you get to the island? How did you take receiving the letter? Etc. doesn't have to be long)
Other: (anything else you wanna add about your character)
As far as personality goes, you can just leave that up to the story if you want. And remember, you can use and bring weapons, but you will not be killing, nor always using them, so maybe not be a sword master with no skills with your hands, k?
Any questions? PM me, or ask them in the OOC thread. The co-GM for this is Kurokiku. Have fun all!
Everyone feared the worst, but no one knew anything about the incident. It was as if he simply vanished. When the police went to search his home they found it empty, all of his possessions were gone, and all the servants and such could not be found for questioning. His personal guards didn't even know a thing. Days, weeks, months passed by and they kept searching, but to no avail. After a year a funeral was held for Jian, and a monument erected. Every year on that same day his friends, family, fans, the media, would all gather and say a prayer and such, hoping that if he were alive still he was well, and if not that his soul was resting peacefully. This went on for a few years, but eventually the name Yang Jian faded from the pages of newspapers, flickered off the TV, and was more or less forgotten by all but his biggest fans.
Now, twenty years have passed. A new generation of young fighters has been born, most of which have only heard of the old masters name, but never actually learned anything about him. They are competing in tournaments, for money, for glory, some for their lives, which for the most part are normal. That is, until one day, one the first day of spring, a certain number of young fighters receive a rather plain letter in the mail. The letters are actually small scrolls, with hand brushed words from Yang Jian himself, which read;
"Dear (your name here).
It is most likely that you have never heard the name Yang Jian, and even less likely you know how much meaning it once carried. And that is exactly why you must continue reading this letter.
I am Yang Jian, and many years ago I was the best martial artist around. I am still a master, however, I am now nearing the end of my journey through life, and so I am looking for a pupil to whom I can pass on the ancient arts I have learned over the course of my life. Please, do not think for a second that this will be like any training you've gone through in your life, for it is not. Death is always an option with this sort of style. Now, enclosed you will find, on the back of this letter, a map leading to my home on an island called Kohaku, as well as a simple talisman. If you are willing to give your life to become the next master, then please, come to my island school, and present this talisman, and your destiny will change forever..."
While the letter explained very little, most anyone who revived such a letter could look the information up online and would find archives of information on Master Jian, but very little on Kohaku Island. And as far as the talisman, it was very simple; a leather string with a simple yin yang medallion, and on the back was a small dragon etched into the metal.
For some of the fighters who revived this letter, the information above and the mentioned items were all they received, but for others, such as those who would never be able to afford such a journey on their own, a large sum of money was inclosed, so secure safe passage if they should attempt the journey, or whatever they liked if they simply kept it. And while several of these letters were delivered, only a small percentage of those who made the journey would even be allowed to enter the school to begin learning from the master and his people.
-=-=-=-
Basics-
20 years ago Yang Jian was one of the most well known named. He was a rich, famous martial artist, and yet no one could explain it when he disappeared suddenly. He was in good health, a master of self defense techniques, so no one knows what happened. Now it has been learned, by a select few, that he is not actually dead, and is in fact alive and well, if not late in his life. He owns a private island, Kohaku Island, located somewhere south-east of China.
What's your role here? Well, you can play 1 of 3 parts-
1) A new, younger fighter who received the letter and come to Kohaku to learn
2) An instructor on the island, who has been there anywhere from just a couple months to a few years
3) A member of the Island Guard, the security force on the island
Now, here are some RP rules to remember...
1)This is not just about the fighting, this is also about character development, and the way our characters change their perspectives after coming to this island. After all, they will be faced with the challenges set forth by Master Jian, as well as have to live with complete strangers on an island where there are no ways of outside communication
2)Weapons...big issue here...you can use weapons, but this rp will have very little, if any, killing, and once you are actually in the school you'll rarely use weapons anyway, unless it's an outside of class kind of thing. This is called School of the Fist for a reason after all
3)You are not a badass here, not really. Most everyone on the island who isn't a student has been chosen by Master Jian, who is a martial arts expert, so he wouldn't fill his spots with wimps, but with other masters. So, no, they are not invincible, but neither are you, you just can't go around beating people easily here
4)We only need people who will be dedicated to this rp and will try to help uphold the feel of the rp, meaning if you just wanna fight, we don't want you here, but if all you wanna do is talk, this is not the place for you either. The people who join this rp need to understand that it isn't just about development, or just about fighting, it's a culmination of the two experiences in one storyline
Now, character sheets-
Name: (dose not have to be Asian...)
Age: (16 at the youngest)
Style: (can be real, made up, or you don't even have to have a 'style')
Appearance: (what do you look like? Pics are okay, but you'll have to add a little to them, such as height and clothing and things of the sort, as you won't be wearing the same thing all the time...will you?)
Equipment: (anything you brought with you to the island)
Back Story: (why do you fight? How did you get to the island? How did you take receiving the letter? Etc. doesn't have to be long)
Other: (anything else you wanna add about your character)
As far as personality goes, you can just leave that up to the story if you want. And remember, you can use and bring weapons, but you will not be killing, nor always using them, so maybe not be a sword master with no skills with your hands, k?
Any questions? PM me, or ask them in the OOC thread. The co-GM for this is Kurokiku. Have fun all!
The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 11 authors
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Mizuki nodded, setting her singular bowl down on the table gently before following the group of them out the door. She didn't exactly need to practice blowing out the candle again, but there were a number of other areas in which she could stand to improve, and she enjoyed the lessons besides. Rather than take anything for granted, she figured if Master Jian was having them repeat something, it was for the sake of their improvement and had a larger purpose behind it, one which Mater Ling had taught her long ago to question only occasionally.
Practice would be indoors today, she had been told, which was nice sometimes when the weather got on the heated side. Wherever exactly this island was, it verged on tropical some days, and the sticky heat could get oppressive. Outside, the sun was already shining with full force, and she enjoyed the feel of it on her face in the brief moments it took to reach the large, dojo-like structure they used for these lessons. They always arrived early, she and her three friends, but then nobody ever gave them any trouble for it, and she much preferred this circumstance to tardiness.
-=-
Shin's expression mirrored Pai-an's, though on a bit of a delay, since he was only somewhat perplexed by Go's attitude, and not much of the rest of it. He had not known the guard to be so serious in a while, and that alone merited some observation.
It was not, however, his particular inclination to ask after it, especially since the reasons were evident enough. Kintora. Shin knew something of them, though not much about any of the individual members. What he did know, he had collected over time, from references made by accident or when he was not thought to be listening hard enough. Something about Shin that most people seemed to forget on occasion was that he was not nearly as foolish as he acted, and he was always listening.
Still, even so he had only a vague concept of who exactly the Kintora school was comprised of, but his understanding was that he'd have little reason to like most of them should they ever meet. A martial philosophy most distinct from and in instances outright opposed to Pops's own, members without mercy, and most... unfortunate training methods, apparently.
None of this changed much, though. His job was still the same, and he would do it to the best of his ability, because the one man he could ever say he owed his loyalty to had asked it of him. And that was enough.
Watching the students file out, Shin contemplated how best to spend the time between now and when his own turn came to teach class later that afternoon. He could meditate, practice, go for a walk... decisions, decisions.
Practice would be indoors today, she had been told, which was nice sometimes when the weather got on the heated side. Wherever exactly this island was, it verged on tropical some days, and the sticky heat could get oppressive. Outside, the sun was already shining with full force, and she enjoyed the feel of it on her face in the brief moments it took to reach the large, dojo-like structure they used for these lessons. They always arrived early, she and her three friends, but then nobody ever gave them any trouble for it, and she much preferred this circumstance to tardiness.
-=-
Shin's expression mirrored Pai-an's, though on a bit of a delay, since he was only somewhat perplexed by Go's attitude, and not much of the rest of it. He had not known the guard to be so serious in a while, and that alone merited some observation.
It was not, however, his particular inclination to ask after it, especially since the reasons were evident enough. Kintora. Shin knew something of them, though not much about any of the individual members. What he did know, he had collected over time, from references made by accident or when he was not thought to be listening hard enough. Something about Shin that most people seemed to forget on occasion was that he was not nearly as foolish as he acted, and he was always listening.
Still, even so he had only a vague concept of who exactly the Kintora school was comprised of, but his understanding was that he'd have little reason to like most of them should they ever meet. A martial philosophy most distinct from and in instances outright opposed to Pops's own, members without mercy, and most... unfortunate training methods, apparently.
None of this changed much, though. His job was still the same, and he would do it to the best of his ability, because the one man he could ever say he owed his loyalty to had asked it of him. And that was enough.
Watching the students file out, Shin contemplated how best to spend the time between now and when his own turn came to teach class later that afternoon. He could meditate, practice, go for a walk... decisions, decisions.
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Pai-an watched as Go and Romeo exited one after another. Go was accurate in saying that the situations that they would be entering would be serious; a heavy thing that Pai-an had let fade from her prolonged time on Kohaku Island. It gave them all another reason to prepare and train for the up and coming event at Hong Kong. Kintora, she recalled (finally) was the name of the other school. There wasn't much that she knew of them, but what was said of them, it didn't quite cast them in the best light.
As it was a regular day today, Pai-an had several hours before it was her turn to teach. As soon as Go and Romeo finished their little spar, everyone would be rounded up for, was it Ken's class? She couldn't remember. The small book that sat on the table would provide some activity to fill the empty time but it was not Pai-an's style to finish a book as quickly as possible; every bit of information should be chewed and digested. Several of her own muscles were sore from her own private training the previous day, so it would be unwise to attempt anything to physical.
Shin seemed to be having a similar problem of choosing what to do. If there was something Pai-an could offer, she would, but they weren't always together. Most of the time, they were probably on different sides of the islands doing entirely different things. It was just during the welcoming ceremony that the saw each other the most. However, Pai-an did have to admit that she was closer to him then many of the other guards and instructors.
She rose, pocketing the small novel into her robe pocket. "If you need me, you can find me around the island's eastern beach." she said, nodding once to Shin before exiting the hall. A quick stop was to be made to her room before going to said destination.
As it was a regular day today, Pai-an had several hours before it was her turn to teach. As soon as Go and Romeo finished their little spar, everyone would be rounded up for, was it Ken's class? She couldn't remember. The small book that sat on the table would provide some activity to fill the empty time but it was not Pai-an's style to finish a book as quickly as possible; every bit of information should be chewed and digested. Several of her own muscles were sore from her own private training the previous day, so it would be unwise to attempt anything to physical.
Shin seemed to be having a similar problem of choosing what to do. If there was something Pai-an could offer, she would, but they weren't always together. Most of the time, they were probably on different sides of the islands doing entirely different things. It was just during the welcoming ceremony that the saw each other the most. However, Pai-an did have to admit that she was closer to him then many of the other guards and instructors.
She rose, pocketing the small novel into her robe pocket. "If you need me, you can find me around the island's eastern beach." she said, nodding once to Shin before exiting the hall. A quick stop was to be made to her room before going to said destination.
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Eventually Romeo wandered into the classroom with just a moment or two to spare before he would have been counted as late. Already Master Jian, who had taken a liking to having his classes early in the morning, was there was well, in his simple white robe, looking a bit more like a humble monk than a master of the fighting arts. Upon entering the dojo Romeo wipes his feet at the entrance, it had been a week since he had worn shoes, and made his way over to his usual spot near his friends and waited for the Master to be ready, which didn't take long.
"Good morning students. I hope that you have all slept well and have eaten a good breakfast, because you will need your strength and stamina today," Master Jian begins, standing before the class with his usual lazy smile on his face, "Today I will be testing each and everyone of you, to see how much you have learned in your time here on the island. I hope that you have all made some improvement, in at least one aspect of study."
As he spoke he looked around at all of the faces, seeming to study them so that he would never forget what they looked like. To Romeo, it seemed like he was deeply worried about something, because his father had given him a similar look the night he had died. Something is definitely going on that he...that none of the instructors want us to know about, something bad. Maybe there is another reason behind this training, aside from just passing on his secrets... He thinks, trying to wrap his head around things, Shouldn't there be someone else who could have mastered such arts by now as well? Is he really the only one, and if so, then why are we picking up on it in just a few weeks?
"...now, who would like to go first?" Jian asks, as Romeo tunes back in to what was being said right in front of him. "Because of the difficulty of this test, you will all go one at a time, and the rest will sit and watch, to conserve energy. Understood? Good, now, volunteers?"
"Good morning students. I hope that you have all slept well and have eaten a good breakfast, because you will need your strength and stamina today," Master Jian begins, standing before the class with his usual lazy smile on his face, "Today I will be testing each and everyone of you, to see how much you have learned in your time here on the island. I hope that you have all made some improvement, in at least one aspect of study."
As he spoke he looked around at all of the faces, seeming to study them so that he would never forget what they looked like. To Romeo, it seemed like he was deeply worried about something, because his father had given him a similar look the night he had died. Something is definitely going on that he...that none of the instructors want us to know about, something bad. Maybe there is another reason behind this training, aside from just passing on his secrets... He thinks, trying to wrap his head around things, Shouldn't there be someone else who could have mastered such arts by now as well? Is he really the only one, and if so, then why are we picking up on it in just a few weeks?
"...now, who would like to go first?" Jian asks, as Romeo tunes back in to what was being said right in front of him. "Because of the difficulty of this test, you will all go one at a time, and the rest will sit and watch, to conserve energy. Understood? Good, now, volunteers?"
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Seeing as the candle had been claimed by Hannah, Hayden spent the extra time before class stretching. Despite advice to do otherwise, he was still focusing on agility and flexibility as opposed to building up strength. After all, the EIS called for dexterity and adaptability, not brute force. As its main offense lay in manipulating pressure points incapacitation through the use of a rosary, Hayden saw no reason to develop a stronger kick or punch. When such basic blows were required, he would simply rely on momentum to generate the kinetic energy needed.
He bowed in respect as Master Jian entered the classroom, listening with curiosity as he described the test they were about to take. He's testing the extent of our improvement after such a short period of time? That's odd... His mind flickered back to the hushed conversation between the instructors at breakfast, and he immediately began drawing connections, some more spurious than others. Master Jian has a sworn enemy. Maybe...but such a rivalry would be public knowledge, wouldn't it? Master Jian is losing funding for the school...that's impossible, he could just sell a plate from the dining hall...those things really are fancy... Master Jian has a terminal disease...now that just seems like a silly plotline from those British soaps Mother likes watching. He decided to put the issue to rest until more information was presented, and turned his attention back to the test.
"I'll go first," he volunteered, glancing around to see if anyone else wanted the chance. There were several advantages to going first- the most important being that there would be no pressure. There would be no one else to compare to; if he messed up, then it wouldn't matter. The second advantage was that it would be a pure test of his reflexes; he would be given no time to sit and figure out how to maneuver the test.
He bowed in respect as Master Jian entered the classroom, listening with curiosity as he described the test they were about to take. He's testing the extent of our improvement after such a short period of time? That's odd... His mind flickered back to the hushed conversation between the instructors at breakfast, and he immediately began drawing connections, some more spurious than others. Master Jian has a sworn enemy. Maybe...but such a rivalry would be public knowledge, wouldn't it? Master Jian is losing funding for the school...that's impossible, he could just sell a plate from the dining hall...those things really are fancy... Master Jian has a terminal disease...now that just seems like a silly plotline from those British soaps Mother likes watching. He decided to put the issue to rest until more information was presented, and turned his attention back to the test.
"I'll go first," he volunteered, glancing around to see if anyone else wanted the chance. There were several advantages to going first- the most important being that there would be no pressure. There would be no one else to compare to; if he messed up, then it wouldn't matter. The second advantage was that it would be a pure test of his reflexes; he would be given no time to sit and figure out how to maneuver the test.
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Mizuki spent the time before class trying to center herself. One of the major issues she had discovered within herself was that she was essentially a perfectionist, and once she did even one thing just a little bit wrong, it tended to throw her off for the rest of the exercise. Master Shin had been the first one to point this out to her, and ever since, she'd been noticing the self-destructing tendency in her own practice as well.
"Look, missy, if you really wanna be the best, you've gotta stop beating up on yourself so hard. You're only making it easier for your opponents to do the same when you lose it like that. Try to remember your focus, and if a move doesn't seem exactly right, well... just move on to the next one. Chances are even if it ain't perfect, it'll still hit." He'd then run her through an extra sequence of meditations, which she was somewhat abashed to discover were among the first she had learned. How could she forget the basics like that? It was humiliating, but then that was part of the problem wasn't it.
No matter what... today I have to forgive myself. I can't let small mistakes hamper me. Her old method of dealing with this had simply been to train enough that she didn't make small mistakes, but with all the information being thrown at her daily, complete perfection in every area was impossible, no matter how much sleep she lost to secret night training sessions. Nobody has perfection. The ones who make you think they do simply have precision, and poise. That was what Master Shin had told her.
She, too, bowed when Master Jian entered; though he generally eschewed formalities, this was one she could not quite bring herself to relinquish. She was nervous, and not inclined to volunteer, but she would if nobody else did. Luckily, Hayden seemed to have no such reservations, and she suppressed a relieved sigh.
---
Shin had decided on a walking meditation around the island, to give himself some time to reflect on his own. Occasionally, playing the fool as zealously as he did wore on him a bit, but then perhaps that was to be expected. The disguise he could not bring himself to abandon, not entirely anyway, and though most of the people here saw through it because he let them, the important things were still obscured. He still wasn't as well-known to anyone as they thought, and that was fine by him. He relished in it, though there was a part of him that would love to throw aside the harlequin's mask once and for all.
He intentionally directed his thoughts gently from that particular path, and he smiled when they landed upon his students. He knew it was unprofessional to have favorites, which was why he kept the fact that he did a complete secret and treated them all the same, but those four really were growing on him. Like some kinda fungus. The mental quip caused a chuckle to escape him, and he shook his head ruefully, running a callused hand through unruly blond hair.
Eventually, his feet took him to the beach, and he recalled Pai-an mentioning that she would be here. If he had to take a guess for who on the island knew him best, she'd be second after Pops, and that was simply because of the amount of time they spent in decent proximity, be it time in the library or discussing the progress of the students. Strangely enough, she was also the only person on the island he had yet to assign a nickname to, but nothing really sprang to mind when he tried to think of one, so he let it be.
Making enough noise to do the courtesy of alerting her to his presence without being obnoxious about it, Shin walked over sedately enough until he was beside her, at which point he flopped in a most undignified manner to the ground, sprawling out on the golden sand in a haphazard pile of limbs with a grin. He left her her space though; it would be rude to do otherwise. Cocking an eyebrow, he asked the first question that popped into his head. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"
"Look, missy, if you really wanna be the best, you've gotta stop beating up on yourself so hard. You're only making it easier for your opponents to do the same when you lose it like that. Try to remember your focus, and if a move doesn't seem exactly right, well... just move on to the next one. Chances are even if it ain't perfect, it'll still hit." He'd then run her through an extra sequence of meditations, which she was somewhat abashed to discover were among the first she had learned. How could she forget the basics like that? It was humiliating, but then that was part of the problem wasn't it.
No matter what... today I have to forgive myself. I can't let small mistakes hamper me. Her old method of dealing with this had simply been to train enough that she didn't make small mistakes, but with all the information being thrown at her daily, complete perfection in every area was impossible, no matter how much sleep she lost to secret night training sessions. Nobody has perfection. The ones who make you think they do simply have precision, and poise. That was what Master Shin had told her.
She, too, bowed when Master Jian entered; though he generally eschewed formalities, this was one she could not quite bring herself to relinquish. She was nervous, and not inclined to volunteer, but she would if nobody else did. Luckily, Hayden seemed to have no such reservations, and she suppressed a relieved sigh.
---
Shin had decided on a walking meditation around the island, to give himself some time to reflect on his own. Occasionally, playing the fool as zealously as he did wore on him a bit, but then perhaps that was to be expected. The disguise he could not bring himself to abandon, not entirely anyway, and though most of the people here saw through it because he let them, the important things were still obscured. He still wasn't as well-known to anyone as they thought, and that was fine by him. He relished in it, though there was a part of him that would love to throw aside the harlequin's mask once and for all.
He intentionally directed his thoughts gently from that particular path, and he smiled when they landed upon his students. He knew it was unprofessional to have favorites, which was why he kept the fact that he did a complete secret and treated them all the same, but those four really were growing on him. Like some kinda fungus. The mental quip caused a chuckle to escape him, and he shook his head ruefully, running a callused hand through unruly blond hair.
Eventually, his feet took him to the beach, and he recalled Pai-an mentioning that she would be here. If he had to take a guess for who on the island knew him best, she'd be second after Pops, and that was simply because of the amount of time they spent in decent proximity, be it time in the library or discussing the progress of the students. Strangely enough, she was also the only person on the island he had yet to assign a nickname to, but nothing really sprang to mind when he tried to think of one, so he let it be.
Making enough noise to do the courtesy of alerting her to his presence without being obnoxious about it, Shin walked over sedately enough until he was beside her, at which point he flopped in a most undignified manner to the ground, sprawling out on the golden sand in a haphazard pile of limbs with a grin. He left her her space though; it would be rude to do otherwise. Cocking an eyebrow, he asked the first question that popped into his head. "Whatcha thinkin' about?"
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The short time Pai-an had spent in her room was to make a change from her robe to a less modest but arguably more comfortable black cotton tank and shorts. Upon arriving at the beach, a good amount of time was spent fighting the waves and under the water, her wet foot prints depressing the sand that she tread upon. She brought no towel, instead using the sun's heat to burn her pale skin and dry the salty water. Her wet butt made a solid seat for her in the arid sand.
It was an odd thing, to be spending so much of her free time to improving herself rather then the students. She recalled how Hayden requested some help with finding and perfecting EIS. With all her heart, she wanted to help, but she did little in gaining little information, or even teaching them on that matter. Partial as she was to the three; Mizuki, Romeo, Hayden, there were all those other bright prospective with them. Pai-an must be a terrible instructor as her next lesson was to weed those unwilling out.
Pai-an's eyes didn't stray from the water as Shin approched. It was a moment before she though of a worthy answer to reply with. She spoke lightly, "There is a story about a little wave who gleefully enjoyed it's existence in this world, bobbing up and down as it traveled from sea to sea. However, one day as that a little wave approached the shore, it saw other waves, just like it crash up on the beach, disappearing. The little wave grew fearful. It cried and cried of it's untimely fate until another wave passed. It whispered to the little wave the words 'Silly little wave, you're not just a wave, you're part of the ocean.' So, if you apart of everything, then I must be thinking of nothing as nothing is apart of everything." It was such a wordy reply, the wordiness of it every surprising herself. She liked her little story though, it was if she was trying to compensate for all the stories and words that Shin has told her over the time the knew each other.
Pai-an glanced shyly at him, as if asking what he thought.
It was an odd thing, to be spending so much of her free time to improving herself rather then the students. She recalled how Hayden requested some help with finding and perfecting EIS. With all her heart, she wanted to help, but she did little in gaining little information, or even teaching them on that matter. Partial as she was to the three; Mizuki, Romeo, Hayden, there were all those other bright prospective with them. Pai-an must be a terrible instructor as her next lesson was to weed those unwilling out.
Pai-an's eyes didn't stray from the water as Shin approched. It was a moment before she though of a worthy answer to reply with. She spoke lightly, "There is a story about a little wave who gleefully enjoyed it's existence in this world, bobbing up and down as it traveled from sea to sea. However, one day as that a little wave approached the shore, it saw other waves, just like it crash up on the beach, disappearing. The little wave grew fearful. It cried and cried of it's untimely fate until another wave passed. It whispered to the little wave the words 'Silly little wave, you're not just a wave, you're part of the ocean.' So, if you apart of everything, then I must be thinking of nothing as nothing is apart of everything." It was such a wordy reply, the wordiness of it every surprising herself. She liked her little story though, it was if she was trying to compensate for all the stories and words that Shin has told her over the time the knew each other.
Pai-an glanced shyly at him, as if asking what he thought.
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(sorry for not posting very often guys, i've got 3 sites to work on, one i'm running along, and my sleeping schedule is horrible XD if i ever slow up too badly just yell at me, ok?)
Romeo stood in place, hands held loosely behind his back, as he listened carefully to Jian speak. It had gotten to where, unless the instructors were going to be showing them something new, he just half-listened to them and went along with it, but not with Jian. Over the time on the island the old man had come to be like a grandfather to Romeo, making sure that if he was unable to do something the right way, he could find a way to do it just as well but in his own style. It was no surprise to him, and it seemed Jian felt the same way, when Hayden volunteered to go first.
"Ah, Hayden, I was hoping you would volunteer. Now, please, step forward and get into whatever stance is comfortable to you." Jian says with a warm smile, bowing slightly and gesturing for his student to join him. Once Hayden had done so, Jian simply stood there, as if he were waiting in line for the movies or something. "Now, I understand that you have a unique mindset when it comes to fighting, you are never one to strike first and would rather not cause damage to your opponent unless absolutely necessary, correct?" After giving the boy a chance to speak his mind on the subject, Jian takes up his own unique stance, his right leg moved only slightly back, his left arm bent behind his back, his right arm held loosely before him, hand flat, palm towards Hayden, fingers towards the ceiling. "Because everyone here is different, the test will be different for you all. I want you to show me exactly how much you have learned. Now, we begin."
With that Jian gives Hayden a bit of a mischievous smile, then launches into an attack.
((i'm going to let everyone make a post where they control Jian and themselves for this test. basically just show off what your character has learned during their time on the island and all that good stuff, ok? i figure this would be easier and take less time))
Romeo stood in place, hands held loosely behind his back, as he listened carefully to Jian speak. It had gotten to where, unless the instructors were going to be showing them something new, he just half-listened to them and went along with it, but not with Jian. Over the time on the island the old man had come to be like a grandfather to Romeo, making sure that if he was unable to do something the right way, he could find a way to do it just as well but in his own style. It was no surprise to him, and it seemed Jian felt the same way, when Hayden volunteered to go first.
"Ah, Hayden, I was hoping you would volunteer. Now, please, step forward and get into whatever stance is comfortable to you." Jian says with a warm smile, bowing slightly and gesturing for his student to join him. Once Hayden had done so, Jian simply stood there, as if he were waiting in line for the movies or something. "Now, I understand that you have a unique mindset when it comes to fighting, you are never one to strike first and would rather not cause damage to your opponent unless absolutely necessary, correct?" After giving the boy a chance to speak his mind on the subject, Jian takes up his own unique stance, his right leg moved only slightly back, his left arm bent behind his back, his right arm held loosely before him, hand flat, palm towards Hayden, fingers towards the ceiling. "Because everyone here is different, the test will be different for you all. I want you to show me exactly how much you have learned. Now, we begin."
With that Jian gives Hayden a bit of a mischievous smile, then launches into an attack.
((i'm going to let everyone make a post where they control Jian and themselves for this test. basically just show off what your character has learned during their time on the island and all that good stuff, ok? i figure this would be easier and take less time))
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(very understandable haha. let us know if we're being too annoying >.<")
"True," Hayden admitted, with a bit of a grin on his face. "But I've also learned the value of practice fights, Master."
He slouched back into his own signature stance, a little modified since he had first arrived at the island, although the basic principles remained the same. Reflect. His posture, always calculatedly vulnerable, was completely neutral (more than one instructor had yelled at him for slouching, so Hayden had learned to straighten up); his legs were in an average stance, equally poised to go forward or backwards. If Master Jian moved forward, then he would move backwards, mirroring the other's movements exactly. Sense. Hayden looked almost sleepy-eyed as his left arm drifted upwards, hanging in the air like a paper lantern, sensitive to every movement, every change in the atmosphere.
And respond. Hayden knew that Master Jian was going for a flying sidekick the moment the man's feet first left the ground. Several months ago, it would have taken him a split-second longer to analyze the movement through sight patterns and figure out what was going on. Now, he no longer relied on crude sight. His natural affinity for sensing unbalance and unstability, coupled with his talent for utilizing chi, gave him almost a sort of second sense, and he saw the move play out in his mind's eye several seconds before it happened. So when he dodged Master Jian's blows, it was as if he had super-human reflexes.
They continued like that for the next minute or so, competing in a pure race of who could react faster than the other; to an observer, the fight would look like nothing more than a flurry of cloth. Hayden never attacked, focusing solely on dodging Master Jian's movements as quickly as they came- a task that was quite strenuous in and of itself. It was a fight that was centered around agility and breathtaking speed achieved through chi circulation in the extremities of the body; strength was almost irrelevant, as Hayden knew that one accurate push of a pressure point would end it for him.
He was surprising even himself as another minute passed when Hayden was not overtaken by Master Jian's speed. He never could have done this months ago. Only through long hours of poring over ancient texts with Pai-an, and then even more solitary hours spent pacing across the island when even Pai-an could not decipher the meaning of the arcane texts, had he been able to unlock over seventy-five percent of the Eastern Illusion Strike. Admittedly, most of it was patchy and unrefined, and some parts of it were completely borrowed from other styles (such as the pressure points techniques) but at least it was there.
Too bad I can't use the rosary here. The most time had been spent on scrutinizing the ins and outs of the rosary technique, a purely defensive mechanism that sometimes worked even better than a shield, although it took considerably more skill. But Hayden had long known that the rosary would only work on an opponent slower than he was, as it would bring them both into an instant-death, close range battle. And Master Jian was by no means slow.
Finally, it happened. Despite the chi flowing to his arms and legs, Hayden couldn't keep up with the master's agility. Hayden's attention slipped for one moment, and Master Jian's index finger found a point at the base of his neck. The effect was immediate; Hayden's limbs froze up completely and he dropped to the floor, paralyzed.
"Ow," he mumbled as his head hit the ground.
Master Jian's amused face loomed over him. "Seems like you could use a bit of work with pressure point defense," he commented as he prodded another point on Hayden's chest- with his foot, no less.
"Tell me something I don't know," Hayden muttered, shaking out his limbs as they slowly relaxed. Owww…my spine feels like ice…
"I must thank you, though." Master Jian said, offering him a hand. "It's always interesting to battle an unfamiliar style."
"I'm not the best representative," Hayden replied, laughing. "But I'm getting there."
"True," Hayden admitted, with a bit of a grin on his face. "But I've also learned the value of practice fights, Master."
He slouched back into his own signature stance, a little modified since he had first arrived at the island, although the basic principles remained the same. Reflect. His posture, always calculatedly vulnerable, was completely neutral (more than one instructor had yelled at him for slouching, so Hayden had learned to straighten up); his legs were in an average stance, equally poised to go forward or backwards. If Master Jian moved forward, then he would move backwards, mirroring the other's movements exactly. Sense. Hayden looked almost sleepy-eyed as his left arm drifted upwards, hanging in the air like a paper lantern, sensitive to every movement, every change in the atmosphere.
And respond. Hayden knew that Master Jian was going for a flying sidekick the moment the man's feet first left the ground. Several months ago, it would have taken him a split-second longer to analyze the movement through sight patterns and figure out what was going on. Now, he no longer relied on crude sight. His natural affinity for sensing unbalance and unstability, coupled with his talent for utilizing chi, gave him almost a sort of second sense, and he saw the move play out in his mind's eye several seconds before it happened. So when he dodged Master Jian's blows, it was as if he had super-human reflexes.
They continued like that for the next minute or so, competing in a pure race of who could react faster than the other; to an observer, the fight would look like nothing more than a flurry of cloth. Hayden never attacked, focusing solely on dodging Master Jian's movements as quickly as they came- a task that was quite strenuous in and of itself. It was a fight that was centered around agility and breathtaking speed achieved through chi circulation in the extremities of the body; strength was almost irrelevant, as Hayden knew that one accurate push of a pressure point would end it for him.
He was surprising even himself as another minute passed when Hayden was not overtaken by Master Jian's speed. He never could have done this months ago. Only through long hours of poring over ancient texts with Pai-an, and then even more solitary hours spent pacing across the island when even Pai-an could not decipher the meaning of the arcane texts, had he been able to unlock over seventy-five percent of the Eastern Illusion Strike. Admittedly, most of it was patchy and unrefined, and some parts of it were completely borrowed from other styles (such as the pressure points techniques) but at least it was there.
Too bad I can't use the rosary here. The most time had been spent on scrutinizing the ins and outs of the rosary technique, a purely defensive mechanism that sometimes worked even better than a shield, although it took considerably more skill. But Hayden had long known that the rosary would only work on an opponent slower than he was, as it would bring them both into an instant-death, close range battle. And Master Jian was by no means slow.
Finally, it happened. Despite the chi flowing to his arms and legs, Hayden couldn't keep up with the master's agility. Hayden's attention slipped for one moment, and Master Jian's index finger found a point at the base of his neck. The effect was immediate; Hayden's limbs froze up completely and he dropped to the floor, paralyzed.
"Ow," he mumbled as his head hit the ground.
Master Jian's amused face loomed over him. "Seems like you could use a bit of work with pressure point defense," he commented as he prodded another point on Hayden's chest- with his foot, no less.
"Tell me something I don't know," Hayden muttered, shaking out his limbs as they slowly relaxed. Owww…my spine feels like ice…
"I must thank you, though." Master Jian said, offering him a hand. "It's always interesting to battle an unfamiliar style."
"I'm not the best representative," Hayden replied, laughing. "But I'm getting there."
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Mizuki grew increasingly nervous as the test was explained to her; this didn't sound like it would be a very good idea, but she realized the necessity of such a thing.
She had to admit; she was impressed by Hayden's speed. She couldn't move that fast, no question about it. Her own dodging relied on precision rather than speed. No, she was not as fast as Hayden, nowhere near as strong as Romeo, and Hannah won for sheer tenaciousness. Mizuki's strength was in another area entirely, and she was worried it might not be enough.
Hayden crashed to the ground, and she flinched in sympathy. She'd been on the receiving end of chi blockages more than once in the course of her early training, as she now referred to her time with Master Ling.
"All right, so who's next?" The Master looked around at the assembled students, but none responded immediately, and Mizuki swallowed hard. Her nature wouldn't allow the awkward silence to remain for too long, so after a few more seconds, she shakily rose her hand. Master Jian's face cracked into a grandfatherly smile, and he nodded amicably, stepping back to allow Mizuki to take up a position across from him.
She was suddenly very aware of everything going on around her, from the sounds each individual made when breathing to the flow of their chi. She steadied her own breath and faced the Master, and the two bowed to each other. Mizuki stood with one foot slightly in front of the other, her torso turned to the side. Such was designed to make it possible to move in as many different directions as possible at the slightest notice.
Jian knew that he'd have to move first for her just as certainly as Hayden. They were alike in this much at least. So he did, moving forward with chi-charged speed. Unfortunately for his accuracy, that was what Mizuki had been counting on. The ponytailed girl altered her position just enough to avoid it, the movement of his chi sufficient for her to make an informed guess of what he was going to do and compensate. It was not flashy or impressive-looking, but she simply was not where she could be hit.
Getting a sense for the flow of movement, Mizuki began to adjust, trying out strikes of her own, designed to interfere with the movement of chi. A mixture of her analysis and chi-sense allowed her to take decent shots as well as avoid them, but it was clear that her nerves were interfering with her ability to hit, as Master Jain was able to dodge anything she threw at him with ease. Still, he was not letting up or going any easier on her than he would on the rest of the students, and she was grateful for that.
The look on his face spoke clearly of his disappointment, though, and she felt her face begin to burn even as she spun sideways to avoid a kick she had not been expecting quite so soon. Her movement was graceful and smooth; she bent and flexed around attacks like a willow branch, but she could not find the strength to do anything but this. Unlike Hayden, such a choice was not purposeful for her, and it was clear that something was wrong.
In truth, she was afraid. Extending herself to strike a blow would mean risking injury, or worse, profound humiliation and failure, and she wasn't sure she was strong enough to handle that. Her endorphins were reacting to her panic, and she was getting tense, some of the flow leeching from her movement, so that it became jerkier, more awkward.
"Ya can't let failure get to ya," Master Shin's voice sounded in her head, while Master Pai-an's urged her to remember to be patient and wait for the right opportunity. Ken berated her for being too timid, but she tried not to remember that too much.
Jumping back, Mizuki took note of her breathing, which had grown haggard, and calmed it. Right. Be patient, but don't fear getting it wrong. You can never succeed if you don't try. The last was something Master Ling had told her once, and she had always thought that one could not fail that way, either. Then again... she was tired of giving up.
Something in her expression must have changed, because Master Jian's face broke out into a full-fledged grin. "Ah, there you are. Shall we do this properly this time?" Mizuki could only nod, but it was enough.
A flurry of blows and sidesteps later, Mizuki finally landed the first hit, manipulating the chi to force a blockage into a pressure point on Master Jian's arm. It hadn't been a flawless shot, but it served its purpose. Unfortunately, she felt only a moment later that his own energy had overcome the imperfect block, and he was back to normal in a second. It was then that she realized exactly how pointless an exercise like this really was for someone like him, but rather than feeling silly for taking it so seriously, she was simply grateful that he was doing it anyway.
She was wearing down; endurance had never been her strong suit, and she was too slightly-built to last against someone of such fortitude. Still, she gave it the best shot she had, and by the time he finally connected a solid blow, she was about to collapse anyway. Panting softly, Mizuki bowed and stepped back to the sidelines, an odd sort of smile on her face.
-=-
He caught her look and grinned in response. He wasn't exactly certain why she seemed so unsure of what she'd said, but then for all he liked to think he knew people, some things about them would always be a mystery to him. Especially people like Pai-an.
Shin chuckled lightly at the story, though not because he found it too silly. On the contrary, he was quite interested in the meaning of the devised tale. "Ah, but if nothing is a part of everything, than how can everything be as well?" he countered, but in a light enough tone that she would understand he was not to be taken too seriously.
"I must admit; I'm thinking about the last time I was in Hong Kong. It was a while ago, now, and I came to this island soon after. Met Pops there, actually; it's not a place I thought I'd ever be returning to. Have you ever been?" Shin pillowed his head on interlocked fingers, still laid out on the warm sand seemingly without a care in the world. He watched the clouds overhead as he waited on Pai-an's answer. She often took a while to decide what she was going to say, unlike himself, who tended to speak almost as quickly and recklessly as he thought. He didn't mind, though; it had a way of forcing him to slow down as well.
She had to admit; she was impressed by Hayden's speed. She couldn't move that fast, no question about it. Her own dodging relied on precision rather than speed. No, she was not as fast as Hayden, nowhere near as strong as Romeo, and Hannah won for sheer tenaciousness. Mizuki's strength was in another area entirely, and she was worried it might not be enough.
Hayden crashed to the ground, and she flinched in sympathy. She'd been on the receiving end of chi blockages more than once in the course of her early training, as she now referred to her time with Master Ling.
"All right, so who's next?" The Master looked around at the assembled students, but none responded immediately, and Mizuki swallowed hard. Her nature wouldn't allow the awkward silence to remain for too long, so after a few more seconds, she shakily rose her hand. Master Jian's face cracked into a grandfatherly smile, and he nodded amicably, stepping back to allow Mizuki to take up a position across from him.
She was suddenly very aware of everything going on around her, from the sounds each individual made when breathing to the flow of their chi. She steadied her own breath and faced the Master, and the two bowed to each other. Mizuki stood with one foot slightly in front of the other, her torso turned to the side. Such was designed to make it possible to move in as many different directions as possible at the slightest notice.
Jian knew that he'd have to move first for her just as certainly as Hayden. They were alike in this much at least. So he did, moving forward with chi-charged speed. Unfortunately for his accuracy, that was what Mizuki had been counting on. The ponytailed girl altered her position just enough to avoid it, the movement of his chi sufficient for her to make an informed guess of what he was going to do and compensate. It was not flashy or impressive-looking, but she simply was not where she could be hit.
Getting a sense for the flow of movement, Mizuki began to adjust, trying out strikes of her own, designed to interfere with the movement of chi. A mixture of her analysis and chi-sense allowed her to take decent shots as well as avoid them, but it was clear that her nerves were interfering with her ability to hit, as Master Jain was able to dodge anything she threw at him with ease. Still, he was not letting up or going any easier on her than he would on the rest of the students, and she was grateful for that.
The look on his face spoke clearly of his disappointment, though, and she felt her face begin to burn even as she spun sideways to avoid a kick she had not been expecting quite so soon. Her movement was graceful and smooth; she bent and flexed around attacks like a willow branch, but she could not find the strength to do anything but this. Unlike Hayden, such a choice was not purposeful for her, and it was clear that something was wrong.
In truth, she was afraid. Extending herself to strike a blow would mean risking injury, or worse, profound humiliation and failure, and she wasn't sure she was strong enough to handle that. Her endorphins were reacting to her panic, and she was getting tense, some of the flow leeching from her movement, so that it became jerkier, more awkward.
"Ya can't let failure get to ya," Master Shin's voice sounded in her head, while Master Pai-an's urged her to remember to be patient and wait for the right opportunity. Ken berated her for being too timid, but she tried not to remember that too much.
Jumping back, Mizuki took note of her breathing, which had grown haggard, and calmed it. Right. Be patient, but don't fear getting it wrong. You can never succeed if you don't try. The last was something Master Ling had told her once, and she had always thought that one could not fail that way, either. Then again... she was tired of giving up.
Something in her expression must have changed, because Master Jian's face broke out into a full-fledged grin. "Ah, there you are. Shall we do this properly this time?" Mizuki could only nod, but it was enough.
A flurry of blows and sidesteps later, Mizuki finally landed the first hit, manipulating the chi to force a blockage into a pressure point on Master Jian's arm. It hadn't been a flawless shot, but it served its purpose. Unfortunately, she felt only a moment later that his own energy had overcome the imperfect block, and he was back to normal in a second. It was then that she realized exactly how pointless an exercise like this really was for someone like him, but rather than feeling silly for taking it so seriously, she was simply grateful that he was doing it anyway.
She was wearing down; endurance had never been her strong suit, and she was too slightly-built to last against someone of such fortitude. Still, she gave it the best shot she had, and by the time he finally connected a solid blow, she was about to collapse anyway. Panting softly, Mizuki bowed and stepped back to the sidelines, an odd sort of smile on her face.
-=-
He caught her look and grinned in response. He wasn't exactly certain why she seemed so unsure of what she'd said, but then for all he liked to think he knew people, some things about them would always be a mystery to him. Especially people like Pai-an.
Shin chuckled lightly at the story, though not because he found it too silly. On the contrary, he was quite interested in the meaning of the devised tale. "Ah, but if nothing is a part of everything, than how can everything be as well?" he countered, but in a light enough tone that she would understand he was not to be taken too seriously.
"I must admit; I'm thinking about the last time I was in Hong Kong. It was a while ago, now, and I came to this island soon after. Met Pops there, actually; it's not a place I thought I'd ever be returning to. Have you ever been?" Shin pillowed his head on interlocked fingers, still laid out on the warm sand seemingly without a care in the world. He watched the clouds overhead as he waited on Pai-an's answer. She often took a while to decide what she was going to say, unlike himself, who tended to speak almost as quickly and recklessly as he thought. He didn't mind, though; it had a way of forcing him to slow down as well.
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Pai-an allowed herself to relax, her posture slouching. Her eyes were on the waves rather then the clouds, not that she had anything against the sky. If they were to be observing two different things at the same time, then nothing interesting would pass without one or the other knowing. Pai-an very much liked that.
"No, I haven't." It dawned on Pai-an of how odd it was. Those who have been on the island, apart from the students, very rarely talk about what and who they were from before they had came to the island. As close as she was to Shin, his past was still a relative mystery to her. Her own had not been shared, save with Master Jian himself. This wasn't because it was something she kept in the dark from the world, it is just that no one had asked. Typically because it's not something you lightly ask about.
She allowed several moments to pass in quiet, arranging some thoughts and worries in her mind before turning them into words. "Hong Kong was where you met Master Jian?"
"No, I haven't." It dawned on Pai-an of how odd it was. Those who have been on the island, apart from the students, very rarely talk about what and who they were from before they had came to the island. As close as she was to Shin, his past was still a relative mystery to her. Her own had not been shared, save with Master Jian himself. This wasn't because it was something she kept in the dark from the world, it is just that no one had asked. Typically because it's not something you lightly ask about.
She allowed several moments to pass in quiet, arranging some thoughts and worries in her mind before turning them into words. "Hong Kong was where you met Master Jian?"
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(again, really sorry it's taking me so long to post on here ^_^')
During both of the matches to far, Romeo had been oddly quiet. Normally, as his friends and other had come to expect from him, he would be standing as close to the mats as he could, shouting out encouragements to them, yelling at the other student if they got hit. Had anyone met his father, they would be able to tell the two were just alike, even more so now that Jian had trained the son of his once student.
Where had Romeo been this whole time? As soon as Hayden stepped foot in the arena he took a step back, allowing everyone else to gather up closer to the scene, while he moved to the back of the room and sat down, quietly, and began to meditate and focus himself. He knew that Master Jian was called such because of his skills, not just in the physical arts, but the spiritual as well, and so he would have to brace himself for the chi techniques, which he has yet to understand himself, let alone try to defend against. After all, he was the street fighting son of a world champion boxer, finesse was just not in his genetic make-up.
"My turn," Romeo says, standing in one fluid motion and walking calmly over to the mats.
Jian smiles, noticing the aura about the boy approaching him. His chi flows, burning hot within him, trying to escape, perhaps through his fists, or perhaps any option will be taken up by this mystical force. As he passes by his friends, Jian wonders if they can feel it when he places a hand on their shoulder and congratulates them on a good match.
A moment later the two of them are standing in the arena, facing one another. In a new, odd, mixed cultural tradition created by the two of them, they touch their fists together and bow at the same time, then rise and take a step back. Automatically Jian drops into his standard offensive stance, while Romeo does the same, his own being similar to the traditional MMA stance, but his his arms out, away from his body, and low, leaving himself rather open for an attack.
As if a bell had gone off in their head, the both of them make a move at nearly the exact same time. Jian knows that Romeo sill relies heavily on his power and strength, which have improved greatly during his time here, along with his speed. Along with this, his durability has been beefed up as well, which is why, when Jian lands a blow to the pressure point on the center of Romeo's chest, which would stop the breathing completely on a normal person, he merely coughs and counters the strike, nearly punching Jian in the face.
The match goes on like this for what seems like hours, Jian delivering blows that should have dropped anyone else, and Romeo taking them, shrugging them off, and continuing on. Romeo gets a few hits in, but because he has grown to care for the master as a sort of grandfather figure, he cannot attack him with full force. This means his attack are weaker, and that he is more or less wasting his energy.
Eventually it becomes clear that both of them have become worn out. Despite himself, Jian is breathing harder than he would like, and Romeo is covered in bruises and specks of his own blood. "You father never held back Romeo," Jian whispers, "Even against his own teachers. He believed that to achieve his goals, he had no choice but to put his all into every punch he threw." These words resonate inside Romeo for a moment, and his face goes blank. The two of them strike, then back away, looking each other over. Suddenly the two give a simple nod, and launch one more attack.
A second later the two are standing very close, seemingly having become stuck while trying to run through one another. They stand like this for a moment, and then Jian moves back and Romeo falls to the ground, unconscious. Taking a step back, Jian raises a hand to his mouth, coughs, then wipes a little of his own blood from his lips.
"I believe...the lessons are over...for today..." Jian says, out of breathe, "Hayden, Mizuki, Hannah, can you three take him to the nurse?"
During both of the matches to far, Romeo had been oddly quiet. Normally, as his friends and other had come to expect from him, he would be standing as close to the mats as he could, shouting out encouragements to them, yelling at the other student if they got hit. Had anyone met his father, they would be able to tell the two were just alike, even more so now that Jian had trained the son of his once student.
Where had Romeo been this whole time? As soon as Hayden stepped foot in the arena he took a step back, allowing everyone else to gather up closer to the scene, while he moved to the back of the room and sat down, quietly, and began to meditate and focus himself. He knew that Master Jian was called such because of his skills, not just in the physical arts, but the spiritual as well, and so he would have to brace himself for the chi techniques, which he has yet to understand himself, let alone try to defend against. After all, he was the street fighting son of a world champion boxer, finesse was just not in his genetic make-up.
"My turn," Romeo says, standing in one fluid motion and walking calmly over to the mats.
Jian smiles, noticing the aura about the boy approaching him. His chi flows, burning hot within him, trying to escape, perhaps through his fists, or perhaps any option will be taken up by this mystical force. As he passes by his friends, Jian wonders if they can feel it when he places a hand on their shoulder and congratulates them on a good match.
A moment later the two of them are standing in the arena, facing one another. In a new, odd, mixed cultural tradition created by the two of them, they touch their fists together and bow at the same time, then rise and take a step back. Automatically Jian drops into his standard offensive stance, while Romeo does the same, his own being similar to the traditional MMA stance, but his his arms out, away from his body, and low, leaving himself rather open for an attack.
As if a bell had gone off in their head, the both of them make a move at nearly the exact same time. Jian knows that Romeo sill relies heavily on his power and strength, which have improved greatly during his time here, along with his speed. Along with this, his durability has been beefed up as well, which is why, when Jian lands a blow to the pressure point on the center of Romeo's chest, which would stop the breathing completely on a normal person, he merely coughs and counters the strike, nearly punching Jian in the face.
The match goes on like this for what seems like hours, Jian delivering blows that should have dropped anyone else, and Romeo taking them, shrugging them off, and continuing on. Romeo gets a few hits in, but because he has grown to care for the master as a sort of grandfather figure, he cannot attack him with full force. This means his attack are weaker, and that he is more or less wasting his energy.
Eventually it becomes clear that both of them have become worn out. Despite himself, Jian is breathing harder than he would like, and Romeo is covered in bruises and specks of his own blood. "You father never held back Romeo," Jian whispers, "Even against his own teachers. He believed that to achieve his goals, he had no choice but to put his all into every punch he threw." These words resonate inside Romeo for a moment, and his face goes blank. The two of them strike, then back away, looking each other over. Suddenly the two give a simple nod, and launch one more attack.
A second later the two are standing very close, seemingly having become stuck while trying to run through one another. They stand like this for a moment, and then Jian moves back and Romeo falls to the ground, unconscious. Taking a step back, Jian raises a hand to his mouth, coughs, then wipes a little of his own blood from his lips.
"I believe...the lessons are over...for today..." Jian says, out of breathe, "Hayden, Mizuki, Hannah, can you three take him to the nurse?"
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Hayden gave Mizuki an respectful nod as she stepped out of the arena. "That was cool," he muttered. "Nice job landing a hit." He was probably one of the few students who had the ocular alacrity to observe the specifics of the fight, but Mizuki's graceful flexibility had been obvious to all. Hayden himself was actually a bit envious of her elegant movements, especially in the later half of the bout. While his own style was exponentially faster, it often seemed...well, unseemly. Hannah had more than once commented that Hayden looked like a street performer, dancing back and forth to some erratic rhythm.
"Huh? Thanks," Hayden mumbled as Romeo congratulated him for a good match. Then his eyes flew wide open, staring at Romeo's retreating back in the arena. What the...what was that? Romeo can't control chi well, when did he suddenly... Hayden was far more sensitive to chi than others, given the nature of his training, but even he couldn't fathom exactly what had happened in Romeo's body in such a short period of time. Regardless, it's unrefined chi... It had taken Hayden weeks to memorize patterns of chi circulation, and then more weeks of breathing techniques until he could refine the chi well enough so that none was wasted. Romeo's chi, on the other hand, just seemed to be flowing through his body like a river with no floodgates.
Chi requires control...it's not going to go well for him if he keeps letting sparks fly like that. That much was obvious enough when Romeo collapsed, unconscious on the training floor. Hayden wasn't too surprised. Romeo had been reckless with his chi- utilizing so much after just getting of the hang of it was never a good idea.
"Yes, master," he said hastily, springing forward to slide his arms under Romeo. I don't know why Master Jian chose the three of us to carry him...if he hasn't noticed, we're not too bulked up on muscle...well, maybe Hannah is, but she's puny. "Ooph, you're heavy," he grumbled, despite the fact that Romeo probably couldn't hear him. "Must be all that muscle...gahh..." With considerable effort, he managed to stand up, supporting Romeo with his shoulders.
"Here." Hannah lifted Romeo's wrist daintily with two fingers..
Hayden rolled his eyes. "That's helpful."
"Eh, you look like you've got it covered."
"Huh? Thanks," Hayden mumbled as Romeo congratulated him for a good match. Then his eyes flew wide open, staring at Romeo's retreating back in the arena. What the...what was that? Romeo can't control chi well, when did he suddenly... Hayden was far more sensitive to chi than others, given the nature of his training, but even he couldn't fathom exactly what had happened in Romeo's body in such a short period of time. Regardless, it's unrefined chi... It had taken Hayden weeks to memorize patterns of chi circulation, and then more weeks of breathing techniques until he could refine the chi well enough so that none was wasted. Romeo's chi, on the other hand, just seemed to be flowing through his body like a river with no floodgates.
Chi requires control...it's not going to go well for him if he keeps letting sparks fly like that. That much was obvious enough when Romeo collapsed, unconscious on the training floor. Hayden wasn't too surprised. Romeo had been reckless with his chi- utilizing so much after just getting of the hang of it was never a good idea.
"Yes, master," he said hastily, springing forward to slide his arms under Romeo. I don't know why Master Jian chose the three of us to carry him...if he hasn't noticed, we're not too bulked up on muscle...well, maybe Hannah is, but she's puny. "Ooph, you're heavy," he grumbled, despite the fact that Romeo probably couldn't hear him. "Must be all that muscle...gahh..." With considerable effort, he managed to stand up, supporting Romeo with his shoulders.
"Here." Hannah lifted Romeo's wrist daintily with two fingers..
Hayden rolled his eyes. "That's helpful."
"Eh, you look like you've got it covered."
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Mizuki accepted Hayden's compliment with a shy smile. She rather admired the sheer speed he was capable of; definitely Master Shin's best student in that respect. She, too, could sense the strange happenings with Romeo's chi, and like Hayden, she was more than a little concerned, but she had faith that Master Jian would not be allowing such a thing if it was going to be permanently harmful to him.
It was interesting, she reflected as she watched the fight. If she had to liken the way Hayden moved to something, it would be the wind, with bursts of extraordinary speed and unpredictable patterns. She herself endeavored to be like water as much as possible, smooth and flowing, gentle rather than overwhelming with force. Hannah was strong and steady like stone, and had the power to back it up. But Romeo was like fire: raw, and incapable of going anything less than full-tilt, and dangerous for it. She smiled; she was rather fond of that analogy- it worked quite well.
The smile swiftly disappeared, and blue eyes widened when her friend collapsed. She nodded to the master, who didn't seem to be in the best of shape himself, not that she could blame him, after three bouts in a row, and the last one so intense. Hayden had him by one arm thereafter, and she slipped beneath the other when Hannah lifted Romeo's wrist. She was quite honestly a bit too small for all this, but she would help in any way she could.
"Okay," she said, sounding a tad strained, "let's get him to Myra." She just hoped the nurse wouldn't go off on one of those rants about reckless martial artists again... Mizuki didn't much enjoy being yelled to, even if she wasn't yelled at, exactly.
---
Shin closed his eyes for a moment, reveling in the feel of the sea breeze over his face and through his hair. Sometimes, it was really the simple things that made life nice. Like ocean winds and conversations with interesting people.
That said, he was not sure he really wanted to talk about it. It was one of the few things in his life he had ever regretted, the time he'd spent in Hong Kong. Then again, if he never spoke of it, it wasn't going to get any easier to overcome. Still, maybe he should spare Pai-an the details; it wasn't like she needed him to unload his burdens on her or anything, and her question had been a simple one. There was no way for her to know how loaded it was.
Images flooded into his mind of dank basements with dim electric lighting. The smell of blood and sweat filled his nose, and the din of bettors and bookies working out their business. One of the reasons he'd spent so long in that situation was that they never cared if you bet on yourself, and with his size compared to most of the guys in that business, the odds had always been quite against him. He supposed that off the island, he probably had more than enough to retire now, but that had never been why he fought. He wouldn't put himself through that kind of hell just for the monetary compensation.
Of course, everything ends, and eventually he'd beaten too many pros and lost too many important people their money, and his staunch refusal to fight outside the ring had earned him a prime piece of real-estate: a gutter in the red light district, with a few too many bleeding wounds for his own comfort.
"Yeah... I was in a pretty bad place back then, I guess. I was still a kid, cocky and stupid. Kinda like now, only not as good at faking otherwise." He chuckled at his own joke, and opened his eyes again. You couldn't buy a sky that blue, that much was for sure. "Pops saved my life, I'm dead certain. I owe him a lot. But that was way more than you asked, huh?" It was also much less than he could have answered.
"How about you? How'd you end up on Kohaku Island, of all places?"
It was interesting, she reflected as she watched the fight. If she had to liken the way Hayden moved to something, it would be the wind, with bursts of extraordinary speed and unpredictable patterns. She herself endeavored to be like water as much as possible, smooth and flowing, gentle rather than overwhelming with force. Hannah was strong and steady like stone, and had the power to back it up. But Romeo was like fire: raw, and incapable of going anything less than full-tilt, and dangerous for it. She smiled; she was rather fond of that analogy- it worked quite well.
The smile swiftly disappeared, and blue eyes widened when her friend collapsed. She nodded to the master, who didn't seem to be in the best of shape himself, not that she could blame him, after three bouts in a row, and the last one so intense. Hayden had him by one arm thereafter, and she slipped beneath the other when Hannah lifted Romeo's wrist. She was quite honestly a bit too small for all this, but she would help in any way she could.
"Okay," she said, sounding a tad strained, "let's get him to Myra." She just hoped the nurse wouldn't go off on one of those rants about reckless martial artists again... Mizuki didn't much enjoy being yelled to, even if she wasn't yelled at, exactly.
---
Shin closed his eyes for a moment, reveling in the feel of the sea breeze over his face and through his hair. Sometimes, it was really the simple things that made life nice. Like ocean winds and conversations with interesting people.
That said, he was not sure he really wanted to talk about it. It was one of the few things in his life he had ever regretted, the time he'd spent in Hong Kong. Then again, if he never spoke of it, it wasn't going to get any easier to overcome. Still, maybe he should spare Pai-an the details; it wasn't like she needed him to unload his burdens on her or anything, and her question had been a simple one. There was no way for her to know how loaded it was.
Images flooded into his mind of dank basements with dim electric lighting. The smell of blood and sweat filled his nose, and the din of bettors and bookies working out their business. One of the reasons he'd spent so long in that situation was that they never cared if you bet on yourself, and with his size compared to most of the guys in that business, the odds had always been quite against him. He supposed that off the island, he probably had more than enough to retire now, but that had never been why he fought. He wouldn't put himself through that kind of hell just for the monetary compensation.
Of course, everything ends, and eventually he'd beaten too many pros and lost too many important people their money, and his staunch refusal to fight outside the ring had earned him a prime piece of real-estate: a gutter in the red light district, with a few too many bleeding wounds for his own comfort.
"Yeah... I was in a pretty bad place back then, I guess. I was still a kid, cocky and stupid. Kinda like now, only not as good at faking otherwise." He chuckled at his own joke, and opened his eyes again. You couldn't buy a sky that blue, that much was for sure. "Pops saved my life, I'm dead certain. I owe him a lot. But that was way more than you asked, huh?" It was also much less than he could have answered.
"How about you? How'd you end up on Kohaku Island, of all places?"
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Pai-an hardly shifted from her position but she could feel the bit of discomfort from Shin as he answered her question. His answer was short, odd for someone like Shin who tended to ramble off in six directions at once, but reasonable with the subject at hand. There was always more behind what was said. Pai-an decided not to push it any further though.
Her own history was really not to difficult at all. A poor, debt-plagued family living in a big city on the bad side of town. It was just a wonder how she turned out the way she did. Bloody fights, narrow alleyways, dirty money, and underground fighting arenas; these things were known by a great majority of those on the island. Pai-an didn't have the pleasure in saying that she is not in that majority.
"Ah, Master Jian found me in Shanghai. My first greeting to the Master was...not something I would do again." She didn't have the heart to tell Shin that 'Pai-an' was an alias, a name assumed the moment she had started fighting. "Master Jian has given us all another chance to do good, but the world that we left for this island is still there." A hint of fear shone in her voice. With the Hong Kong trip just around the corner, the uneasiness of what will become of her afterward was on her mind more and more.
Pai-an wiggled her toes in the sand, trying a futile attempt to count all the grains that sat on her biggest toe. She breathed in deeply and smiled, "This island, everything is alive. I'm glad that I came, and I believe that it's nearly time for us to fulfill the reason why we're here in the first place." As much as she didn't want to leave, Pai-an got up, brushing off sand from her dry body before offering hand to Shin. Ken, if she remembered correctly, was 'busy' and wanted a later time to teach today.
Her own history was really not to difficult at all. A poor, debt-plagued family living in a big city on the bad side of town. It was just a wonder how she turned out the way she did. Bloody fights, narrow alleyways, dirty money, and underground fighting arenas; these things were known by a great majority of those on the island. Pai-an didn't have the pleasure in saying that she is not in that majority.
"Ah, Master Jian found me in Shanghai. My first greeting to the Master was...not something I would do again." She didn't have the heart to tell Shin that 'Pai-an' was an alias, a name assumed the moment she had started fighting. "Master Jian has given us all another chance to do good, but the world that we left for this island is still there." A hint of fear shone in her voice. With the Hong Kong trip just around the corner, the uneasiness of what will become of her afterward was on her mind more and more.
Pai-an wiggled her toes in the sand, trying a futile attempt to count all the grains that sat on her biggest toe. She breathed in deeply and smiled, "This island, everything is alive. I'm glad that I came, and I believe that it's nearly time for us to fulfill the reason why we're here in the first place." As much as she didn't want to leave, Pai-an got up, brushing off sand from her dry body before offering hand to Shin. Ken, if she remembered correctly, was 'busy' and wanted a later time to teach today.
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While the students were filing out of the dojo Master Jian made his way into the back room, where he wiped the blood from his face and hand, rinsed his mouth, then sat down on a large, plush cushion to collect himself. He hadn't been expecting Romeo to be able to push out so much chi in one attack when he hadn't been doing so well at even controlling it in the first place.
"Just like this father..." Jian says, as he begins to make some tea.
"Are you alright?" Go asks, walking in through the back door of the small room, "You shouldn't be pushing yourself to far, you don't need to anymore. Isn't that why you started this school in the first place?"
"One of the reasons, yes." Jian says with a sigh, "But only one of them. And another still would be Fang...he has become very eager to get the tournament underway, and we do not have the time to pamper these students anymore. If they aren't ready by now, then..."
"Then they could be killed in the tournament." Go finishes, setting down before the master, knowing full well that those from the Kintora school were more well trained in weapons than the Ginryu students, which would be a big factor of the tournament.
-=-=-
As Romeo was being half dragged towards the nurse's station he began to woke up, but not enough to do anything more but attempt to help the others by taking a few steps here and there to lessen his weight on their shoulders. He felt very weak, and there were large bruises cropping up all over his body now from Jian's strikes. It wasn't looking good, but it could have been far worse as well.
"Why hello children...what happened!" Myra asks as she opens the door, a look that shows more worry than ill will on her face as she ushers them inside, "Quick, hurry, we need to get him up on a bed!" When they reach the bed she grabs him and, in a display of surprising strength, easily picks him up alone and laying him out on the bed. When she sees he is about to speak she shushes him and quickly moves about, first getting his shirt off to reveal the damage. "he fought Jian, didn't he?"
"Just like this father..." Jian says, as he begins to make some tea.
"Are you alright?" Go asks, walking in through the back door of the small room, "You shouldn't be pushing yourself to far, you don't need to anymore. Isn't that why you started this school in the first place?"
"One of the reasons, yes." Jian says with a sigh, "But only one of them. And another still would be Fang...he has become very eager to get the tournament underway, and we do not have the time to pamper these students anymore. If they aren't ready by now, then..."
"Then they could be killed in the tournament." Go finishes, setting down before the master, knowing full well that those from the Kintora school were more well trained in weapons than the Ginryu students, which would be a big factor of the tournament.
-=-=-
As Romeo was being half dragged towards the nurse's station he began to woke up, but not enough to do anything more but attempt to help the others by taking a few steps here and there to lessen his weight on their shoulders. He felt very weak, and there were large bruises cropping up all over his body now from Jian's strikes. It wasn't looking good, but it could have been far worse as well.
"Why hello children...what happened!" Myra asks as she opens the door, a look that shows more worry than ill will on her face as she ushers them inside, "Quick, hurry, we need to get him up on a bed!" When they reach the bed she grabs him and, in a display of surprising strength, easily picks him up alone and laying him out on the bed. When she sees he is about to speak she shushes him and quickly moves about, first getting his shirt off to reveal the damage. "he fought Jian, didn't he?"
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"Yeah," Hayden said, slouching back against the wall to observe the damage. Myra didn't look too freaked out, so he supposed Romeo wasn't in any immediate danger. Bruises were expected… But Hayden was looking for something else. Damage from chi overuse. The students had been warned against it, but nobody had ever pushed their limits that far- which wasn't surprising, considering that up until then Hayden and Mizuki had been the only ones with any real chi control, and they weren't reckless enough to throw it around frivolously. Maybe that's what caused him to pass out? Well, what was I expecting, for him to go up in flames? Huh…
"Posture," Myra shot Hayden a glare as she wadded Romeo's shirt up and tossed it aside.
"Sorry." Hayden straightened up reluctantly. Myra had once given him an hour-long lecture on how sorry he would be as an old man if he kept slouching all the time. Hayden had just been interested in hearing that he would become an old man. He couldn't really imagine that. He supposed he'd gotten a dreamy-eyed look on his face when he thought about it, because Myra had only shouted louder.
"So, uh, he'll totally be okay, right? Should we head on to our next class, then" Hayden asked. Much as he cared about Romeo, he didn't really see the point in standing around gawking as Myra fixed him up. Romeo was in expert hands already, and Hayden doubted he'd be any help.
"Posture," Myra shot Hayden a glare as she wadded Romeo's shirt up and tossed it aside.
"Sorry." Hayden straightened up reluctantly. Myra had once given him an hour-long lecture on how sorry he would be as an old man if he kept slouching all the time. Hayden had just been interested in hearing that he would become an old man. He couldn't really imagine that. He supposed he'd gotten a dreamy-eyed look on his face when he thought about it, because Myra had only shouted louder.
"So, uh, he'll totally be okay, right? Should we head on to our next class, then" Hayden asked. Much as he cared about Romeo, he didn't really see the point in standing around gawking as Myra fixed him up. Romeo was in expert hands already, and Hayden doubted he'd be any help.
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"He'll be fine," Myra sighed, a hint of exasperation in her voice, and waved them off. Mizuki was reluctant to go before she knew he was up and walking again, but she knew it would just be silly to sit around any longer. Myra knew what she was doing, and the girl wouldn't be of any help herself. She knew basic first aid in an emergency, but that was of no assistance here, so she nodded wordlessly and followed Hayden out of the room.
"I can't remember if we have Master Ken's class today or not... I think we might be going straight to Master Pai-an today." Master Ken was strange about things like that, and sometimes insisted on having his classes at weird times, like in the dead of night for example. She supposed it must have to do with accustoming them to as many different conditions as possible, but she didn't really hold fond memories of the time that they had all been woken at three a.m for training.
Knowing that it would be a lesson from master Pai-an, then, she led the way to the glade where such things usually occurred, relieved when everyone else including Hannah seemed to be present already. She took a seat next to the other girl and waited patiently, though her mind drifted far afield and to things past and future.
---
Shin listened intently, allowing Pai-an to speak without interruption. It was a short story, and admittedly one that left him with more questions than answers, but he fancied this was probably more of herself than she'd shared with most people, and he appreciated that for what is was.
Accepting the hand up (though he didn't really need it, it would be rude not to), he grinned. "Ah, that's right. Sometimes I forget we don't stay here for free. Don't wear 'em out too much; I still need 'em in fairly good shape when you're done... or at least the ones Pops hasn't already laid into, eh?" He'd walk with her to the site of her lesson, then divert from there to the library for more research. Like Hayden, he spent a good deal of time there, attempting for the most part to come up with new ideas to integrate into his self-made style.
"I can't remember if we have Master Ken's class today or not... I think we might be going straight to Master Pai-an today." Master Ken was strange about things like that, and sometimes insisted on having his classes at weird times, like in the dead of night for example. She supposed it must have to do with accustoming them to as many different conditions as possible, but she didn't really hold fond memories of the time that they had all been woken at three a.m for training.
Knowing that it would be a lesson from master Pai-an, then, she led the way to the glade where such things usually occurred, relieved when everyone else including Hannah seemed to be present already. She took a seat next to the other girl and waited patiently, though her mind drifted far afield and to things past and future.
---
Shin listened intently, allowing Pai-an to speak without interruption. It was a short story, and admittedly one that left him with more questions than answers, but he fancied this was probably more of herself than she'd shared with most people, and he appreciated that for what is was.
Accepting the hand up (though he didn't really need it, it would be rude not to), he grinned. "Ah, that's right. Sometimes I forget we don't stay here for free. Don't wear 'em out too much; I still need 'em in fairly good shape when you're done... or at least the ones Pops hasn't already laid into, eh?" He'd walk with her to the site of her lesson, then divert from there to the library for more research. Like Hayden, he spent a good deal of time there, attempting for the most part to come up with new ideas to integrate into his self-made style.
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The walk back to the main complex of buildings was relatively silent save for the occasional thoughtful observations that Shin liked to point out to her. They casually waved away as Pai-an neared the bridge, expecting to see each other during the afternoon meal. For the while that lessons had been going on, Pai-an always meet her students on the same bridge of the water garden from their first lesson with her. She took her position on one side of the bridge railing, everyone else on the other, sitting, leaning, standing, or any combination of the three. From a quick evaluation, she could see that they were missing Romeo. Odd yes, but they had just finished a lesson with the Master, she could start without him.
Unlike any previous lesson of hers, Pai-an stayed silent, staring down the students without addressing them at all. This was odd even for Pai-an as she usually gave instructions out when everyone had settled. Moments passed in the awkwardness. Someone attempted to say something but was instantly quieted by a simple gaze. Some among the group started to get restless as a minute passed. Six minutes ticked by before someone announced that this was stupid and left. A small crowd followed and left but a few remained behind, curious to see what was to happen.
She smiled at much smaller group, "I'm glad that you decided to stay. Follow me." Leading them down the other side of the bridge and along the water to a point where the water ran faster and the depth lesser. She stepped into the water, the fast stream water only reaching mid-thigh.
"Balance of movement is key in battle. You cannot risk one wrong move as it can give the necessary advantage to your opponent. You must have confidence in every step." She held up several sashes. "You will all be wearing this sash and pair up against each other. Your goal is to remove your opponents sash."
The water level was not particularly high but it had a certain momentum to it, accompanied with the smooth, slippery rocks underneath, keeping balance could be a challenge. To much flighty movement would result in slipping.
Unlike any previous lesson of hers, Pai-an stayed silent, staring down the students without addressing them at all. This was odd even for Pai-an as she usually gave instructions out when everyone had settled. Moments passed in the awkwardness. Someone attempted to say something but was instantly quieted by a simple gaze. Some among the group started to get restless as a minute passed. Six minutes ticked by before someone announced that this was stupid and left. A small crowd followed and left but a few remained behind, curious to see what was to happen.
She smiled at much smaller group, "I'm glad that you decided to stay. Follow me." Leading them down the other side of the bridge and along the water to a point where the water ran faster and the depth lesser. She stepped into the water, the fast stream water only reaching mid-thigh.
"Balance of movement is key in battle. You cannot risk one wrong move as it can give the necessary advantage to your opponent. You must have confidence in every step." She held up several sashes. "You will all be wearing this sash and pair up against each other. Your goal is to remove your opponents sash."
The water level was not particularly high but it had a certain momentum to it, accompanied with the smooth, slippery rocks underneath, keeping balance could be a challenge. To much flighty movement would result in slipping.
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For a while Romeo felt like he was paralyzed. Between the physical damage done to his body and the blocked chi points, not to mention that he had used up most of his own chi during the fight, he thought it was a wonder he had survived. But this had been a good thing. All this time he had heard rumors that his father had been taught by a very famous man, but never who, until he came to this island. As it turned out, from what he had been able to gather from the instructors, Go mainly, and Jian himself, he had learned that his father had learned from Jian personally, had been one of his first students, along with one other man.
"You awake?" Myra asks, leaning over him, rubbing some kind of ointment on the bruises that smelled a bit like mint and pine, "This will help you heal, and open up your chi pathways once more. I'm actually a little impressed. After Go and Jian had their first fight Go was out of it for a week straight." She laughs a little at this, but doesn't smile, "You've got a good, strong body, and I can see why you've chosen this path...a fighter...but you could do so much more..."
By this point he was fairly sure she was speaking to herself more than him, and so he let he talk without interrupting, flinching a little every now and then and she touched a tender spot. Aside from the bruises he was sure he had a cracked rib, this was really nothing compared to the other pains he'd felt over the years.
"Thanks," Romeo says, sitting up, now looking a bit like a mummy, "I'm feeling better already."
"Stop, you need to lie down, you shouldn't be moving!" Myra says, moving to make him lay down again. "If you move too much in this condition you could pass out, you should-"
"I'll be fine, I promise," he says, standing up anyway, grinning a bit, "See? Now, where did my shirt go...ah, here." As he gets dressed again she watches, confused by it all, knowing he shouldn't be able to move right now, "Thank you for the help...oh, and a little advice? Go is kind of thick headed, so just tell him you love him before he gets himself killed, alright?"
A moment later the island seems to shake as the door of the station opens and Romeo comes running headlong out of it. Behind him comes a red-faced Myra, screaming at him and waving around a wheelchair over her head.
"You awake?" Myra asks, leaning over him, rubbing some kind of ointment on the bruises that smelled a bit like mint and pine, "This will help you heal, and open up your chi pathways once more. I'm actually a little impressed. After Go and Jian had their first fight Go was out of it for a week straight." She laughs a little at this, but doesn't smile, "You've got a good, strong body, and I can see why you've chosen this path...a fighter...but you could do so much more..."
By this point he was fairly sure she was speaking to herself more than him, and so he let he talk without interrupting, flinching a little every now and then and she touched a tender spot. Aside from the bruises he was sure he had a cracked rib, this was really nothing compared to the other pains he'd felt over the years.
"Thanks," Romeo says, sitting up, now looking a bit like a mummy, "I'm feeling better already."
"Stop, you need to lie down, you shouldn't be moving!" Myra says, moving to make him lay down again. "If you move too much in this condition you could pass out, you should-"
"I'll be fine, I promise," he says, standing up anyway, grinning a bit, "See? Now, where did my shirt go...ah, here." As he gets dressed again she watches, confused by it all, knowing he shouldn't be able to move right now, "Thank you for the help...oh, and a little advice? Go is kind of thick headed, so just tell him you love him before he gets himself killed, alright?"
A moment later the island seems to shake as the door of the station opens and Romeo comes running headlong out of it. Behind him comes a red-faced Myra, screaming at him and waving around a wheelchair over her head.
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"Hmm..." Hayden tied the sash around his waist tightly, stepping into the shallow water. He hadn't left out of frustration- of course he hadn't. Too many hours spent discussing complicated martial arts theory with the instructor led him to believe that Pai-an never did stupid things. The fast-moving current swept around his legs, trying to knock him over- and the slippery riverbed didn't give much stability either. Well, that's annoying. If I had more body mass I wouldn't have to worry this much.
He danced around in the water experimentally, trying to find pockets of stability in the mosaic of movement. His eyes fluttered half-closed as the river's current created an image in his mind, much the same way as the crystal structures in the lake had during their first lesson with Pai-an. Hmm...it's almost like I can feel chi coming out of the river just as I can when I'm fighting with someone. The chi is different, but it's still...hmm. He pondered this for a moment. Could it be that all moving objects have some sort of inner energy? That would make sense, but how can I use that to my advantage...? He resolved to figure that out, since he had the puzzle of moving around in the riverbed solved, but a sudden sight-and sound- in the distance distracted him.
"Ahh," he mumbled, raising his eyebrows as he made out the figure of the nurse- and was that a wheelchair she was carrying over his head? I guess it is...huh. He was tempted to laugh out loud at the expression on Myra's face. I knew redheads were dangerous. As a matter of fact, he did know that. He'd had some bad experiences with a certain redhead back in London. The thought of Jake still made Hayden's head hurt. And his arms. And his legs. And wherever else it was possible to pummel someone to a bloody pulp.
Yeah...so anyways....
Much as he'd love to go find out what Myra was yelling about, he wasn't going to waste Pai-an's precious class time on such a trivial matter. The nurse probably wouldn't hurt Romeo that badly...right? He turned around and looked for Mizuki, hoping that she hadn't been one of the students to leave out of frustration- and that she hadn't gone running up to Romeo to find out what the commotion was about. If it was an exercise of agility, as Hayden had assumed, then there was no better challenge than the girl who moved like a willow.
He danced around in the water experimentally, trying to find pockets of stability in the mosaic of movement. His eyes fluttered half-closed as the river's current created an image in his mind, much the same way as the crystal structures in the lake had during their first lesson with Pai-an. Hmm...it's almost like I can feel chi coming out of the river just as I can when I'm fighting with someone. The chi is different, but it's still...hmm. He pondered this for a moment. Could it be that all moving objects have some sort of inner energy? That would make sense, but how can I use that to my advantage...? He resolved to figure that out, since he had the puzzle of moving around in the riverbed solved, but a sudden sight-and sound- in the distance distracted him.
"Ahh," he mumbled, raising his eyebrows as he made out the figure of the nurse- and was that a wheelchair she was carrying over his head? I guess it is...huh. He was tempted to laugh out loud at the expression on Myra's face. I knew redheads were dangerous. As a matter of fact, he did know that. He'd had some bad experiences with a certain redhead back in London. The thought of Jake still made Hayden's head hurt. And his arms. And his legs. And wherever else it was possible to pummel someone to a bloody pulp.
Yeah...so anyways....
Much as he'd love to go find out what Myra was yelling about, he wasn't going to waste Pai-an's precious class time on such a trivial matter. The nurse probably wouldn't hurt Romeo that badly...right? He turned around and looked for Mizuki, hoping that she hadn't been one of the students to leave out of frustration- and that she hadn't gone running up to Romeo to find out what the commotion was about. If it was an exercise of agility, as Hayden had assumed, then there was no better challenge than the girl who moved like a willow.
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Mizuki didn't much mind that the lesson was taking so long to begin. She was a patient person generally, ans trusted that none of the instructors ever did anything pointlessly. She was actually quite surprised when a number of the students simply left. Maybe that was the point; to know which lessons would have meaning and which would not? She shook her head slightly. That didn't seem right at all.
Eventually though, Master Pai-an explained it all, and Mizuki smiled as she accepted her sash. She tied it somewhat loosely about her waist; she wanted to be able to escape it in case it was that or go under the water, and the tails of it would be less long this way. Removing her sandals and tabi, she was about to slip into the water when the great hubbub erupted from the direction of Myra's station. Mizuki glanced worriedly in the direction of the noise, but all she saw was a very flustered-looking Myra with no target. Oh dear... she thought, scanning the area for any sign of Romeo. There was none, so she figured he was either still injured inside or had caused Myra's stress and was wisely hiding from the repercussions.
Sighing slightly (her friends did tend to cause trouble every now and then) Mizuki eased carefully into the water. It was a little chilly, and her stature was slight enough that she was in danger of being uprooted if she was not careful, but it was nice. The stones beneath her feet were cool and smooth, and the water rushed about her thighs or so. She noticed that Hayden was looking around, and met his eyes, smiling. He would probably be good at something like this, since his style was so focused on movement. The thing about Mizuki was that she never really had victory in mind when choosing her opponents, merely the opportunity to learn something.
Wading over to him, she bowed. "Would you mind?" she inquired, pushing aside a few stones with each of her feet to create depressions in which she could rest them. It wouldn't be much extra leverage, but it would be some, and she could focus on moving around this nexus point until more drastic dodging was necessary.
Eventually though, Master Pai-an explained it all, and Mizuki smiled as she accepted her sash. She tied it somewhat loosely about her waist; she wanted to be able to escape it in case it was that or go under the water, and the tails of it would be less long this way. Removing her sandals and tabi, she was about to slip into the water when the great hubbub erupted from the direction of Myra's station. Mizuki glanced worriedly in the direction of the noise, but all she saw was a very flustered-looking Myra with no target. Oh dear... she thought, scanning the area for any sign of Romeo. There was none, so she figured he was either still injured inside or had caused Myra's stress and was wisely hiding from the repercussions.
Sighing slightly (her friends did tend to cause trouble every now and then) Mizuki eased carefully into the water. It was a little chilly, and her stature was slight enough that she was in danger of being uprooted if she was not careful, but it was nice. The stones beneath her feet were cool and smooth, and the water rushed about her thighs or so. She noticed that Hayden was looking around, and met his eyes, smiling. He would probably be good at something like this, since his style was so focused on movement. The thing about Mizuki was that she never really had victory in mind when choosing her opponents, merely the opportunity to learn something.
Wading over to him, she bowed. "Would you mind?" she inquired, pushing aside a few stones with each of her feet to create depressions in which she could rest them. It wouldn't be much extra leverage, but it would be some, and she could focus on moving around this nexus point until more drastic dodging was necessary.
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"Nope." Hayden replied cheerfully, bowing back- it was customary in karate to do so, but with his awkward height, he usually looked more like he was having a spastic fit. He slumped backwards into his usual opening stance, although it seemed a little out of place here. The purpose of the bout was not to land blows, but to snatch the sash...that complicated things just a little bit. He eyed Mizuki carefully, figuring out where the best place to pull would be. if he grabbed one of the tails, then the sash would only tighten. But if he grabbed the length half a foot away from the knot, it looked like it would unravel.
"Ready when you are," he told her. It was definitely going to be an enjoyable, high-speed match of reflexes, but Mizuki had to start it.
"Ready when you are," he told her. It was definitely going to be an enjoyable, high-speed match of reflexes, but Mizuki had to start it.
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"Of course," Mizuki replied with a hint of good humor. Much as she disliked striking first, her style did actually allow for it, and so she figured it was the least she could do. Otherwise, they could both well be there all day, and their legs would probably go numb.
Of course, that didn't mean she was going to rush into it. One of those things that Master Pai-an stressed was patience, and she was lucky to have it in spades. The girl shifted slightly in the water, angling to adjust for the flow of it more completely, then took a deep breath, releasing it without moving. This she repeated several times, letting her mind slip into a half-meditative state as Master Shin had taught them so that she would not lose track of what was happening around her. She would need to be aware of the flow of the water at all times, after all.
The strike was sudden, flowing, precise, like a dam bursting, and Mizuki went straight for the tails of his sash, fully expecting him to dodge this one. It was followed by another, and a third, but the fourth was actually designed to throw him off-balance rather than grab for the fabric, aimed for the center of his chest. Hopefully (though she wasn't really counting on it being this easy, knowing Hayden), he'd have to bend far enough back to dodge it that the water would catch him unawares and cause him to lose his footing.
Of course, that didn't mean she was going to rush into it. One of those things that Master Pai-an stressed was patience, and she was lucky to have it in spades. The girl shifted slightly in the water, angling to adjust for the flow of it more completely, then took a deep breath, releasing it without moving. This she repeated several times, letting her mind slip into a half-meditative state as Master Shin had taught them so that she would not lose track of what was happening around her. She would need to be aware of the flow of the water at all times, after all.
The strike was sudden, flowing, precise, like a dam bursting, and Mizuki went straight for the tails of his sash, fully expecting him to dodge this one. It was followed by another, and a third, but the fourth was actually designed to throw him off-balance rather than grab for the fabric, aimed for the center of his chest. Hopefully (though she wasn't really counting on it being this easy, knowing Hayden), he'd have to bend far enough back to dodge it that the water would catch him unawares and cause him to lose his footing.
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Hayden dodged the first three blows with whiplike motions, skirting easily (albeit not exactly gracefully) around Mizuki's outstretched hands as his feet danced a rapid pattern on the rocks below. His eyes were completely shut as he moved; sight would only be a distraction when it came to dodging this fast, and his sense of chi gave him a much better idea of where things were. Along with a clear pattern of the moving water, a mental image of Mizuki (well, more of her arms, legs, and sash) sprang into his mind, and he let the pull of nature's tendency to move towards balance guide him as he dodged, until-
Whoa, didn't see that coming. He had been expecting Mizuki to go for his sash, not his torso. The logical move would be to bend backwards to avoid the blow, but Mizuki was close enough that Hayden knew he would have to bend pretty far back- not exactly a good idea in uncertain waters. Going along with his gut instinct, he made a split-second decision and stayed exactly where he was, absorbing the entirety of the hit, jerking his chest back just a little so that the force would be equally distributed across his entire torso. He didn't want to repeat the scenario with Romeo on the first night, after all.
It was only after he danced backwards several steps that his decision made sense even to him. It wasn't a fight centered around disabling the opponent, so the probability that Mizuki would go for a pressure point was quite low. It had also been more of a push than a punch, nothing crippling to absorb. Still, it was an interesting strategy.
It also opened Hayden's mind up to another aspect of the fight. He had assumed the focus would be on snatching the sash, but Mizuki had just attempted to knock him into the water. Pai-an did say something about balance...huh. But he couldn't really see how toppling Mizuki got him any closer to removing the sash. Sure, it would take her some time to recover and stand up, but Hayden wasn't the type to take advantage of an opponent while they were defenseless. So his only option was to take the sash without disturbing Mizuki's balance. Which meant no odd strategies. Darn.
He decided to make the next move. Pulling at sashes wasn't exactly offensive in the technical sense, and there was no way he'd win otherwise. He whipped his arm towards the portion of the sash right next to her waist, a place that would be difficult to guard since it was both out of Mizuki's natural line of sight and forced her arms to act in an awkward angle.
Whoa, didn't see that coming. He had been expecting Mizuki to go for his sash, not his torso. The logical move would be to bend backwards to avoid the blow, but Mizuki was close enough that Hayden knew he would have to bend pretty far back- not exactly a good idea in uncertain waters. Going along with his gut instinct, he made a split-second decision and stayed exactly where he was, absorbing the entirety of the hit, jerking his chest back just a little so that the force would be equally distributed across his entire torso. He didn't want to repeat the scenario with Romeo on the first night, after all.
It was only after he danced backwards several steps that his decision made sense even to him. It wasn't a fight centered around disabling the opponent, so the probability that Mizuki would go for a pressure point was quite low. It had also been more of a push than a punch, nothing crippling to absorb. Still, it was an interesting strategy.
It also opened Hayden's mind up to another aspect of the fight. He had assumed the focus would be on snatching the sash, but Mizuki had just attempted to knock him into the water. Pai-an did say something about balance...huh. But he couldn't really see how toppling Mizuki got him any closer to removing the sash. Sure, it would take her some time to recover and stand up, but Hayden wasn't the type to take advantage of an opponent while they were defenseless. So his only option was to take the sash without disturbing Mizuki's balance. Which meant no odd strategies. Darn.
He decided to make the next move. Pulling at sashes wasn't exactly offensive in the technical sense, and there was no way he'd win otherwise. He whipped his arm towards the portion of the sash right next to her waist, a place that would be difficult to guard since it was both out of Mizuki's natural line of sight and forced her arms to act in an awkward angle.
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Pai-an stood on the side of the bank, carefully watching the progress of the matches. There were only two of them in progress, Mizuki and Hayden's the more interesting of them as neither had inadvertently slipped and fallen yet. Though she had seen several excellent combat matches, Pai-an could not help but think that the one in front of her was far more interesting. A change of objective. A change of environment, the very fact that their surroundings were working against them. Even the most skilled of fighters would find difficulty in this seemingly simple exercise.
That said, there was something else surfacing to mind; they were forced to make decisions. Would you attack your opponent to unbalance them in order to gain the upper hand or would you go directly for the sash? Pai-an allowed the corners of her mouth to twitch upward; Hayden would be ecstatic to hear another step towards unraveling EIS had occurred today. Pushing this exercise further might provide more insight on style, not only for Hayden but Mizuki's as well. Though it has been well established that Mizuki has set her style, there's something to be said about making it all your own.
"Now, everyone must get a stone from the stream bed and put it onto the west bank. Complete this task while keeping your main objective of steal your opponent's sash." It would be a twist. Focusing on multiple things such as retrieving the stone, finding the west bank, getting the stone to the west bank, keeping your own sash, attempting to retrieve your opponents sash, all on top of being able to keep your balance was hardly an easy thing.
That said, there was something else surfacing to mind; they were forced to make decisions. Would you attack your opponent to unbalance them in order to gain the upper hand or would you go directly for the sash? Pai-an allowed the corners of her mouth to twitch upward; Hayden would be ecstatic to hear another step towards unraveling EIS had occurred today. Pushing this exercise further might provide more insight on style, not only for Hayden but Mizuki's as well. Though it has been well established that Mizuki has set her style, there's something to be said about making it all your own.
"Now, everyone must get a stone from the stream bed and put it onto the west bank. Complete this task while keeping your main objective of steal your opponent's sash." It would be a twist. Focusing on multiple things such as retrieving the stone, finding the west bank, getting the stone to the west bank, keeping your own sash, attempting to retrieve your opponents sash, all on top of being able to keep your balance was hardly an easy thing.
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View All » Add Character » 20 Characters to follow in this universe
Newest
Richard 'Ricky' Ballard
The evil rich kid
Xiaobai
A student of spear form taijiquan.
Hayden Ren
Disciple of the Eastern Illusion Strike, Hayden seeks to restore the lost martial art.
Angel Vladimir
Sweet and Innocent outside Fierce and Dangerous inside.
Brent Parson
One-armed fighter
Pai-an
Instructor of the Island
Kumataro Go
Head of the Island Guard
Kaichou Hogaraka
Drunken fist user, Learning at the request of a friend.
Vincent Romeo Margrave
"Just call me Romeo please."
Trending
Vincent Romeo Margrave
"Just call me Romeo please."
Richard 'Ricky' Ballard
The evil rich kid
Hayden Ren
Disciple of the Eastern Illusion Strike, Hayden seeks to restore the lost martial art.
Brent Parson
One-armed fighter
Pai-an
Instructor of the Island
Xiaobai
A student of spear form taijiquan.
Kaichou Hogaraka
Drunken fist user, Learning at the request of a friend.
Kumataro Go
Head of the Island Guard
Angel Vladimir
Sweet and Innocent outside Fierce and Dangerous inside.
Most Followed
Angel Vladimir
Sweet and Innocent outside Fierce and Dangerous inside.
Richard 'Ricky' Ballard
The evil rich kid
Xiaobai
A student of spear form taijiquan.
Kumataro Go
Head of the Island Guard
Vincent Romeo Margrave
"Just call me Romeo please."
Brent Parson
One-armed fighter
Hayden Ren
Disciple of the Eastern Illusion Strike, Hayden seeks to restore the lost martial art.
Pai-an
Instructor of the Island
Kaichou Hogaraka
Drunken fist user, Learning at the request of a friend.
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