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Post by zhen on Dec 13, 2008 17:23:59 GMT -5
Zhen had mastered the art of patience, thankfully, but Sekar arrived before she knew it. Her seat at the table at the far end of the dojo, in plain sight of the door where Sekar walked through, wasn't occupied for too long after Zhen had stopped by her home and changed into training garb. She awaited the man with a smile as he walked in, and spoke loud enough to carry her voice across the room. "Welcome, my esteemed guest!" she stood, holding out her arms as if to embrace the man in a hug, even though he was so far away. The candles on the table flickered gently, though they were unnecessary in the broad daylight at that time; yes, a subtle ambience was their theme this time.
"Let us not dawdle." Zhen's voice strengthened enthusiasm, and her outstretched arms were suddenly subject to a gentle downturning of her hands. In every way, she would be showing off her impressive skills as her hands lowered slightly, but her palms turned upward. "Shall we explore the power of fire?" the master said as he chin raised a bit, her thin and rosy lips becoming a gentle smile, as the tips of her candles plumed to much larger tongues of flame at least ten times their size. Then (even though it was somewhat unnecessary), she let out a deep breath and the flames vanished. Sometimes, theatrics were everything - and she could pull it off well. Surely he didn't doubt her abilities, though; in her land, the elderly were often masters of their arts.
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Post by sekar on Dec 14, 2008 17:52:55 GMT -5
Walking slowly he placed his satchel on the side of the door as he walked in. The candled reminded him when he trained with the Fire Sage, and his father. However Toya thought it was unessary and only used to be dramatic. While the sage actually used them as a teaching tool.
Sekar got into the center as Zhen mentioned the exploring the power of fire. The flamed shot up above the master bender and then she exgunished them. Sekar had to clap, both out amusment and cyanism. He wasn't a fan of theatrics but he understood about 'getting in the mood', so he didn't make a snarky joke candles. Though he really wanted to, however he realised that offending his sifu would be a very bad idea.
Sekar also took off his sandles and outer vest so he was just in his trousers and black shirt. He was lighter and more comforable clothing now and he cross his arms.
"So, do you want me to start warming up before I show you want I know?"
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Post by zhen on Dec 15, 2008 18:19:09 GMT -5
It really was Zhen's intention to gauge the man's abilities well beforehand, and even though he offered, there was still more than enough reason to permit such things. If he were strong and limber as a farmhand youth or rusty like an old door hinge, Zhen could tell just what needed work, what needed to be improved. In like manner, maybe she would in subtle ways teach him the true meaning of fire without being too obvious, not going back on her truth-saving lie. "Please do," she said, lacing her fingers at the fore. Her eyes, circumstance willing, would not miss a thing he did.
"Proceed. I want you to show me everything. Do not hold back, my student." Condescending? Maybe - but it was the truth. Sekar was now her student and she his teacher, no doubt about it. In this way he was not her equal, and her reign over him was vast. For now, he had effectively signed himself under Zhen's merciful palm of tutelage. He would be in for very much indeed, but whether it was torturous or fulfilling was all up to his attitude. Zhen smiled pleasantly, awaiting the near future as anticipatory thoughts painted in the canvas of her mind.
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Post by sekar on Dec 15, 2008 18:44:45 GMT -5
Student. Heh that brought back memories. Being it truth, Sekar didn't snap in response. He however prepared to show his new Sifu on what he had learn.
His father stressed on keeping chi circulating, and drawing it from your belly or the Manipura chakra. With this in mind Sekar started doing his streaches warming up.
Moving into several poses, Warrior A and B, he started to get into another stance this time reconizeable as starting firebending pose. Prepared, Sekar stared moving into his stances with fluid ease, fire blasting from his palms and feet, show casing that he knew at the basics. Sekar had smirk as she started to bend more complicated stances. Moving with the same grace and ease he had before. Each exhale and each inhale had purpose when he bended the fiire. He also was smiling, he feeling that warm giddy feeling he had when he firebended as child. It always made him feel good.
Finishes he grabbed his water skin and chugged down the water. Over all he was skilled, he could pass many firebender his age, but needed to refine his basic stances again and his more complicated moves, need find tuning as well. He also seemed to do limited number of techquices and need to relearn a lot.
"So whats next Sifu?"
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Post by zhen on Dec 17, 2008 0:54:35 GMT -5
Sienna eyes watched each movement with expert certainty, mentally taking note and storing away information as orange light from the man's firebending glowed upon Zhen in short flashes. He was reasonably fluent with each jab and kick, but there were definite, key signs that he was far from mastery of this element. Thank heavens she had patience, even though few masters would really have turned him away by now - and besides, money in her pocket would have made her patience stretch out a lot longer, if you caught her drift. Just when to spring that little deal, Zhen knew exactly. In due time...in due time, indeed.
When the man stopped showing off, Zhen was still standing and watching, fingers laced as before and a calm smile on her face. She watched the trickle of water fall from his canteen to his mouth. "Tired already?" Zhen said, smirking and noting his skin already appeared rather moist and shiny with sweat. It was a harmless tease at best and a mild taunt at worst, but she truly had no ill will. She knew he came to be trained, and that was that.
His question was rather predictable after that. In reply, she closed her eyes and gave the slightest, most faint shadow of a shrug. "That will depend. What do you want to learn? I can teach many things, but not miracles." That would decide whether he was patient, for now.
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Post by sekar on Dec 23, 2008 10:53:34 GMT -5
He didn't feel tired but invigorated. It been a long time since he was able to pull those bending stances. And it felt strangly good. Twisting the cap on he took his shirt off and pulled out a bag of gold and sat on the mantle where the candles were.
Money makes the world go round, Sekar knew that hopefully this will help Sifu Zhen with empting her back of fiery tricks. Sekar got into the center again, his body had some age to it, mostly because of stress. But as he panted and pushed his hair back he felt 23 not 33 going on 34.
"What do I want to know?" Sekar had to laugh, if only she knew how much a voracious scholar he was. Books and books and more scrolls and journals you can imagine. He a small library of valuable and rare publications from all over the world, older than he, most of these precious writings are carefully preserved. His great-grandfather was a traveler and a philosopher before he got into medicine.
"You're asking a loaded question Sifu. I want to know everything. But firebending can't be taught by reading old sophic scrolls by Fire Sages durning the reign of Avatar Roku. You have to be shown. So what needs improving first Sifu? My Zou Ma or counter attacks need a lot of refining." He said with a lift of his head.
"Can you show me those?"
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Post by zhen on Dec 24, 2008 18:48:58 GMT -5
The man was correct, but Zhen had to chuckle. Her question was in fact, 'loaded', but in like manner, she couldn't start painting a portrait if she had no subject. She could in this case start from the very beginning, but that would surely take too long if this man's schedule were as busy as he claimed. She was grateful he finished that train of thought with a few requests before she had to end it for him. It would be annoying for him to make such a statement and refuse to say anything more, like a cynic with nothing better to do with his life. Exasperated at that point, she would probably ask him to leave if that were the case.
"Certainly," she nodded in affirmation, motioning her hand for him to walk ahead of her. Really, it would be so much easier if he acted as a living subject, a mannequin for examples of this oft-underused aspect of primarily offense-based firebending. If not, she would show him anyway, though it would probably be rather difficult for him to follow and apply what he was taught. "Please, strike." Smiling, she wondered if this was the first time the man had an old lady ask him to hit her...or try to. She knew he wasn't quite in for a surprise - he had asked her to train him, so he had to expect anything at all.
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Post by sekar on Dec 26, 2008 12:06:38 GMT -5
Zhen agreed to show Sekar some of the counter-attacks, and it was obvious that she was using herself as example. Sekar had to crack a grin when she asked him to strike her. He been raised to respect his elders and this was an interesting breech of his manners. He knew that Zhen could probably flip him over or repel a forward strike.
Gears churned in Sekar's head as he tried a less forward attack, He was going to feint a forward strike and actually try to kick her instead. Yeah that would work nicely. He scoot back a bit and with a puckish smirk.
"Alright but I won't make this easy."
He moved his body as he was gong to do an open handed strike but as he was whipping his right hand forward he pivoted and swung out his left leg as a round-house. A jet flame flashed towards Zhen.
HA! Try that Sifu!
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Post by zhen on Dec 31, 2008 1:04:03 GMT -5
Alright...
The first thing Zhen immediately thought is that the man, for whatever reason, had halfway through this little demonstration forgotten just what he was trying to do. He hadn't asked to engage in a duel, but to be taught to counterattack just like he had originally asked. Whatever his reasons, self-preservation or a fear of pain and the like, Zhen reached her conclusion in less than the time it took to blink her eye. Like everything was moving in slow motion, the battle-stanced firebender would try to counterattack right when she saw him shift his weight. It would be awkward for him to recover from that one should he fail, but Zhen's eyes saw everything.
It was unpredictable enough, which, in that heartbeat of time, made her smile.
The flame was whisked off to the side, or rather, redirected sideways with an open-palmed thrust of her hand, though the quick swirl of burning reds and yellows certainly made her feel the heat. Quickly, the firebending master advanced forward, almost moving half her body length when her other fist flew forward like a comet. Closer to Sekar, fire billowed from the jab of her fist. Thankfully, she had purposely made it weak enough not to bring him harm, but to keep it suitable for a demonstration; which this was, whether he chose to treat it like a duel or not.
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Post by sekar on Dec 31, 2008 16:05:23 GMT -5
Thinking fast is something Sekar was good at. Medicily at least.
Broken leg? Set it. Broken ribs? Sedate and bind. Flu? Herbal tea and and chi cleansing. Dodging a fireball from a Fire-bending grandmaster.
Uhhhhh?
Sekar saw Zhen flick the fire away and procceed with her own advancement. Already standing akwardly, footing was already off. Sekar had very little reaction time to dodge Zhen fireball. He managed to swivel his body to avoid the flame but he did too fast and tripped and thusly fell flat on his butt.
"Ow." Sekar sighed and got up again.
"I see...so much for showing off, so Sifu how should I have repelled it and sorry for over doing it." Sekar apologised, replaying everything is his head analyzing what he did wrong. It was obvious that he wasn't paying attention or thinking fast enough. Biting his lip he turned back to Zhen to see how she could correct his stance and how he should responded to her attack.
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Post by zhen on Jan 5, 2009 17:32:30 GMT -5
Zhen knew it would happen sooner, really not later. Still, despite how the student may sink into a lower mood, she shook her head a bit and sighed. She wasn't disappointed, make no mistake, but she did foresee much work to be done if the man couldn't counter that simple attack. He wasn't kidding when he said he needed to work on this particular set of techniques. Looking the man rolling up off the ground, Zhen smiled a bit. "You'll be a great project. Now don't hesitate-- back into stance!"
***
Roughly two hours later, Zhen believed enough time and training had passed for either one: Sekar to be thoroughly exhausted, or two: Sekar to have learned a handful of valuable lessons-- if he was paying attention. She could only trust her own teaching faculties to go so far, and if everything she said whistled right through the student's head, there was little else she could do. She made numerous attempts to make sure each and every student paid attention, but again, it didn't always work. Their heart, mind, and body all had to be focused completely.
She was now stretched in a lower stance, knee bent by one side while the other leg stretched far ahead, it ankle tilted considerably and foot pressed flat against the ground; one hand was facing the floor in a flat palm and the other was reared back by her face, coiled in a fist. By all means she was ready to keep going, taut muscles tingling, but she knew it was time for this to end. At least for now, the man's lessons could conclude and he probably wouldn't complain.
Quickly standing straight, Zhen bowed to her pupil and looked him straight in the eyes. There was every need to assume his hair was disheveled, skin glimmering with sweat, and lungs moving in and out with rapid breaths. It applied to Zhen too (at least minorly so), so there wasn't a reason to believe this man, whose shape was less toned than hers, would fare any better. Reading body language was necessary when one instilled combat skills in others, so his physical state was too clear. "This will be all for now. Please rest, as I can tell you're tired. Shall we retire inside for tea?"
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