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Post by Horo on May 20, 2014 12:19:56 GMT -5
Air stood up from his position in the center of the gym. He had waited 4:30 seconds so far, and 5 would be his max before he abandoned Clover’s hopes of training. His face was scrunched and his breathing heavier than normal. His eyes rolled around as he tapped his foot quickly. This is an honor. he thought as he scanned the doors for her arrival. Another glance at the wall. The clock read _:45, 15 seconds was all the time she had to make her appearance.
Outside of the gym, the smell of cherries filled the halls. The clacking of his flip-flops echoed around as his smile shined like a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Luca could see Clover rushing down the hall narrow hall. He smiled at the opportunity and with a light hop spun through the air, wrapping himself around Clover’s body, with a magnificent grace before landing gently at her back side. He spoke up as she continued. “I hope you make it in time. That guy… He’s a monster.”
Luca made a turn towards Horo’s club room, hoping to entertain the small Captain with his presence.
Back inside the gym, Air rubbed his head as he transformed back into the poetic Air. “If it is now the time of reckoning, then I shall rule a judgment swift and strong. For on the count of 3, one the count of 2 on the count of –“ Air stopped as the doors to the gym swung open.
“This one is of luck, for it is time to begin.”
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Post by Rikka on May 20, 2014 12:37:12 GMT -5
Clover raced from her room. She had just finished getting more nutrients from her mice when she realized the time. She was doomed. He wouldn't teach her if she was late! Racing past the smell of cherries, in loose fitting clothes and no shoes, her cells caught sight of Luca. With a smile she waved him off. "I asked and he responded. I brought it on myself, Mr. Know-it-all." Her tone held a teasing note as the skill he just displayed definitely belonged to Air.
Continuing her run she hit the gym doors just as he apparently got to 1 in his countdown. She was so very very lucky he hadn't just decided to leave. Letting the doors shut behind her Clover moved so she was near Air. Ready to learn. |
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Post by Horo on May 21, 2014 18:33:19 GMT -5
Air nodded and lifted his hand to his mouth. It was only for a moment, but he sucked his finger until it was nice and wet, then lifted it high into the air. ”Does your finger tell you the knowledge? Do you understand?” He asked, looking Clover in the eyes before lowering his finger back to his side. He took in a deep breath and spun 360 moving slightly to the left. He looked at Clover and waited for her to follow along.
((Small post!))
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Post by Rikka on May 21, 2014 19:15:22 GMT -5
Clover watched him and lifted her own finger into the air. She didn't have saliva but she used some of the water in her cells to coat it to test the air. Finding the wind current she noted its movement before catching Air's gaze and watching him. Spinning 360 degrees like he had she moved only slightly to the left following him. |
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Post by Horo on May 21, 2014 19:26:35 GMT -5
Air sighed and shook his head from side to side. He pointed to the void space around himself and waved his hands in circles. ”Girl moves before her time, doesn’t flow like the leaf. She must fall like the dandelion seed.” Air took in a breath and rotated again, but this time he finished after he had circled around Clover.
”This one moves when the air speaks movement. Air tells Air where to move! Listen to air, breath movement.” Air moved again, flipping forward and landing in his original spot. ”Do not follow Air, follow air when air is moving, where air is moving. Then you move air.”
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Post by Rikka on May 21, 2014 19:33:47 GMT -5
Clover took the criticism in kind and shifted some of her DNA to add a touch of Mekura's innate sensitivity to her surrounds. Taking a breath even though she didn't need it she cleared her mind of what she thought she knew of how to do this. She was going to do this right. Activating the sensitivity in her body she closed her eyes and felt the wind against her skin. Moving with the wind this time she moved to the left before turning 360 degrees with the air this time. Opening her vision up she looked at Air to see if she had done it right. |
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Post by Horo on May 21, 2014 19:46:20 GMT -5
Air nodded slightly, but his concerned face showed that he still didn’t think Clover was performing it exactly correctly. Air scratched his chin, but an idea struck him as he began to wave his hands around through the air. ”You need to pain with all the colors of the wind!” He exclaimed happily, sure that he could reach her with this understanding of it! Air moved his hands around in a circle before out of nowhere launching a throwing knife into the bleachers. The knife whizzed past at a high velocity, easily piercing the bleachers and implanting itself deep within. (no handle was showing, only a small hole)
”Paint with the colors of the wind! But you must feel the paint, you must know the universal truth!”
((After this, angry Air will blurt out))
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Post by Rikka on May 21, 2014 20:24:08 GMT -5
Clover watched him as concern crossed his face. He seemed to be thinking before he started exclaiming happily she needed to paint with the wind. Slightly confused she watched him trying to figure out what he wanted. She replayed it in her mind trying to think what he could possibly be trying to show her. Thinking it over she decided to give it a try.
Feeling the air she knew it didn't really have colors, it had up drafts, down drafts, cool air, and hot air. Currents were also part of the air. The air moved with the earth. Universal truth....She was unsure about that statement. Looking at Air again she tried to move with the air again.
This time she waited a little longer and felt the air tug on her clothes with the lightest of touches. Listening she moved with the air her feet light as a feather before she looked at Air. She was hoping she had done it right this time. Though a seed of doubt told her she was probably going to get in trouble. |
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Post by Horo on May 24, 2014 10:04:09 GMT -5
Air’s brow twitched, watching as Clover finished her next attempt at moving as he did. A small bead of sweat formed off the side of his temple as he ran his fingers through his hair. ”You daft girl! How are you not understanding this? Yes. You feel the air currents, the differences of the high and low pressures, the warm and cool breezes and you follow those patterns to help stabilize you. You got that but you are missing the most fundamental thing!” Air nearly barked at Clover. He performed a mid-air flip and landed. Something wasn’t as graceful as the movement as before, the look in his eyes seemed off as he looked back at Clover. He then repeated the motion, returning to his original spot with all the grace he had displayed before. He looked Clover in the eyes, with relaxed satisfaction.
”You feel the currents, and then you must own them! Don’t look to me for approval; it’s your body moving! Just let it and if you’re not doing it correctly then you should know! Clover stepped over and placed his hands in multiple spots around Clover’s body, pushing it though motions. ”Follow this pattern, swing your arms with the initial current, and then swing your back leg over your first. Use the cool air as a spring board when that first leg starts to go down and whip your still planted leg around, landing on it before your body hits the ground. So if you go left, your right leg comes off the ground, you flip over your left, your left comes up, but you land with your left as well. The opposite for the right.”
Air took a few paces back, his angry edge starting to wane ”If you don’t use the air correctly, you will fall. If you don’t own it, your body will fall. Don’t do it fast, do it gracefully, slow.” Air performed the move he spoke of. His body seemed to linger, floating before he whipped his left leg around, and then, seemingly teleported slightly to the left.
”It’s an optical illusion. The slower you go, the faster you’ll move. But, if you move wrong you will fall to the floor.”
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Post by Rikka on May 24, 2014 10:37:27 GMT -5
Clover took the insult since she knew it was not half as harsh as Henko insults that had been hurled at her. She blinked noting the change in his eyes before he did the move again. The second time he looked satisfied with the move. Needed to own the air currents? Hmm. Letting him push her through the motions. Watching him as he took a few steps back she noted the gracefulness of the move. Not fast but Slow. Gracefully slow.
Following the pattern he had showed her she went through it slowly, definitely not Gracefully as she ended up hitting the floor. Angry with herself she got up and did it over. This time she did it but she knew she had moved too fast. Once again she did it over this time she managed it but not gracefully like he had. Taking a deep breath more for the calming affect of it rather than the need for oxygen she tried it once more. This time she was careful to listen and control the air while still moving slowly and gracefully. When she landed slightly to the left like magic she bounced slightly getting giddy. It had felt right that time! |
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Post by Horo on May 24, 2014 11:20:37 GMT -5
Air nodded as Clover performed a decent movement. Her body was finally starting to understand the motion. ”Accolades my cell, accolades. It is a motion just of a leaf and of your fast impulses I commend.” Air held a pleasant smile on his face and motioned with his hand. ”More. The winds yet howl on the fortifications!”
Air performed the move once again, but this time, his body ‘teleported’ much further to the left than he had shown the previous time. He did it again, his body moving to the right this time, past where he had been originally standing. His motions were still slow, but at the apex of his leap when his second leg came off the ground, he would vanish form the spot and reappear to the side, landing gracefully.
”Is it understood by a girl? The vessel turtles but against the weapon a race is won. Easily fooled is the eye that focused on the stationary. For it is never stationary.” Air nodded and awaited Clover to try again.
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Post by Rikka on May 24, 2014 12:00:36 GMT -5
Clover looked over at Air as he also gave her approval. Smiling she watched him as he performed the move again this time moving farther. Oh. Her smile turned to one of amazement. Continuing to watching she caught herself riveted to the faster motion rather than the slower motions. Splitting her view, half watched the father movement and half of her watched the slower movement. It was easier now to catch him as he moved from left to right.
Fixing her gaze she thought about how he'd done it. Normal people would be riveted to the swift actions rather than that of slower movement. Even she hadn't seen him move the first time cause she was watching the swifter movements. It made sense now how he had danced all over the arena. She spent the next fifteen minutes practicing and re-practicing the move in an attempt to move further to the left and right than her original spot. Another 15 minutes was spent to make sure she had the movement down without a hitch. She was really starting to get the hang of it! |
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Post by Horo on May 24, 2014 12:37:25 GMT -5
Air took a seat while Clover practiced. It was a half hour before he said much more than a good, or try again. He stood and took a few steps over to Clover’s side smiling. ”You’re of a well progression. Time calls the next part of the equation.” Air flipped backwards and tossed a foam dowel at Clover’s face.
”DODGE!” he commanded as he produced more foam darts from the ether. He threw each dowel targeting Clover how most would target her, before she disappeared, but every once in a blue he would throw for where she would land so she could work on her reactions. He flipped around behind her, retrieving dowel that had hit from the floor and throwing them again.
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Post by Rikka on May 24, 2014 13:08:52 GMT -5
Clover smiled as Air complimented her. Suddenly a foam dart was tossed at her before she could dodge. Plucking it off her forehead she squeaked as he commanded her to dodge. Dropping the foam dart she worked on dodging with her new found skills. Of course she would get hit when she didn't react in time or when she tried to move too fast. Thirty minutes later she was able to move like a leaf rarely getting hit, her movements more graceful than they had been when she had started to dodge. Another 15 minutes and she was able to move without getting hit at all.
Henkos don't generally show signs of tiredness, but between the fight and not replenishing all the energy she had used before beginning this training, her hair had quit looking perfect and loose strands had escaped her ponytail, which was starting to look tangled, around her face as she moved to dodge another dart that had been directed at where she would land. |
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Post by Horo on May 24, 2014 13:40:44 GMT -5
Air nodded, pleased with the progress Clover had made in such a short amount of time. He walked over and gave her a bow. "You now use the colors of the wind. With these flying colors you have blown by." Air stood up straight and looked Clover in the eye. "My name is now riding on you, so don't muck it up. Now you aren't a master, so you'll only be able to use this movement to the fullest for about 10 minuets. After that, your opponent is going to catch onto the misdirection. But... just don't lose. Other Qi'Long aren't as nice in the ring as I am." It was soft for the angry Air, but never the less, the Qi'Long master turned away and started walking off.
He looked back at Clover, and could see the bright future she had before her in the world of martial arts. "If you make it to the finals... Come find me and I'll teach you something new."
And with that, Air retreated.
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