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originally posted in:The New Dojo
Edited by Will:
10/9/2016 1:16:55 AM
166
[i]Flashback:[/i]
[i] A younger Lance of sixteen was going at a training cylinder with pegs sticking out at all angles. Hit one peg, it would go to the right, hit another, it went to the left, and the idea was to keep it centered by redirecting your own attacks.
Hand smacked here, forearm there, shin there, and so on. Sweat poured down him in waves, soaking the black t-shirt and shorts he was practicing in. He'd vowed two days ago that he'd never wear white again after what he'd seen, and Jonathan thought it a good idea.
Jonathan Rorik, the man who's Dojo he was training in. The master swordsman of the 23rd century, and probably the most well known one of that time period. It was chance Lance had stumbled across him, but he was glad. Even if he had to pay for it, he was getting the training he wanted. The bandages around his chest didn't fail to remind him of it.[/i]
"What do our minds control?"
[i] Rorik spoke up, circling Lance as he practiced the Kata on the peg dummy.[/i]
"Our body!"
[i] Lance yelled, sending a shin into a peg, redirecting the dummy with a forearm.[/i]
"What do our bodies control?"
[i] Rorik questioned, a hint of a smile playing at his aged face. Even at fifty, he was the best swordsman around.[/i]
[i] Lance slapped a peg to the side, sending a foot right after it.[/i]
"Our enemies!"
[i] Rorik nodded, stopping beside Lance as he continued to slap and block, punch and kick pegs away. [/i]
"And what do our enemies control?"
"Jack shit when we're done with them!"
[i] Lance yelled, punctuating by sending a forearm into a peg, splintering it and sending it flying across the floor. Rorik grinned, nodding his head. [/i]
"Couldn't have said it better myself."
~~
[i]Present Day:[/i]
[i] Lance stood in the branches of one of the tallest trees he could find inside the Dojo complex. He was at least fifty feet in the air, and the branches wavered in the wind, but didn't bother him.
He was a peculiar sight, if he was seen. Funny how seldom people tended to look up. A shadowy figure dressed in a black t-shirt and black jeans, standing among green leaves and brown branches.
He mainly just liked the height, the feeling of precariousness and chance of death at any moment. It has a certain appeal to it.
His eyes wandered over the Dojo complex, in hopes of finding someone interesting. That was much of his life nowadays, looking for interesting people. So far he'd met Damien and Alon here, not for the first time, but they'd been around and they were the most intriguing thing happening around there. If only he could meet someone new.. [/i]
(Open.)
English
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[b]Among the dancing leaves that the wind carried, the small patter of footsteps suddenly rocketed towards Lance. They were light... They were quick... They were... Bam![/b] [b]Right into his chest, the small girl rocketed against him, flying backwards along the tree branch with a dazed look. She had a blindfold over her cloth mask, her head twirling slightly as she tried to reorient herself, peeling away the black band... A band that looked awfully familiar. It was Mallana, dressed in her normal brightly collared tunic and skirt, flower bandana, and cloth wrappings.[/b] [b]She looked up at Lance, first in surprise, then mischief, a grin spreading under her cloth mask as her two luminous eyes bore into him, one a bright azure, the other a passionate crimson.[/b] [b]She gave a slight wave as something cluttered overhead, the shadow whipping past Lance's head before slamming into another branch and falling into Lana's lap. A... What the hell was it? An owl? A cat? And owl cat? Well... No... It was Alphonse. Her treasured owl griffen...[/b] [spoiler]https://i.imgur.com/xgwxsvj.jpg[/spoiler] [b]She eventually wobbled to her feet, Alphonse still cradled in her arms despite his wiggling and struggles. She gave Lance a nod and stuck out her small, almost pale white tongue.[/b]
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Edited by Will: 10/9/2016 10:20:03 PM
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[i] Lance's eyes flitted from side to side, searching for the source of the noise in the branches. No sooner had he thought he'd pinpointed in when he felt Lana slam into his chest, letting out a breath of air with the impact. He attempted to keep his balance on the branch but ended up falling backwards off of it. His hands caught the branch, swinging upwards and turning a flip, landing back on it with graceful ease. His eyes studied the girl with an interesting twinkle in his eye. She seemed so joyful and lively anytime he saw her, it was nearly infectious. He grinned at the girl, shaking his hair out and running his hands through it, yet the same old lock fell over his face.[/i] "That's one hell of a greeting Lana." [i] He said with a laugh, giving her a wave.[/i] https://imgur.com/a/fZl5P
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[b]The creature in Lana's arms eventually scrambled free and snatched the black band, flying up into the air to Lana's dismay. She made a small noise and suddenly broke apart, fluttering away into thousands of origami butterflies... Each one swarming Alphonse until they had collected the black band.[/b] [b]Moments later, she reformed on the branch, the band around her right eye and hood's ear. No doubt it was Damien's.[/b] [b]She turned to Lance, her blue eye remaining, fixated on him. She was quite bizarre... But everything about her was sooo... Bubbly.[/b] [i]"Don't tell Mister Damien... I wanna see how long it takes him to find me..."[/i] [b]She smiled again and giggled, her words strangely captivating as if they were notes to Lance's favorite song, or the thoughts of the world's best poet.[/b] [b]She did a slight twirl before taking a seat, her companion landing on her shoulder, large black eyes trained on a far off beetle.[/b]
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[i] Lana gave him whiplash, in the sense that he'd always prided himself on figuring things out with crystal clear accuracy. But Lana.. she was an enigma that made him look like an open book.[/i] "Yeah, he was talking about you earlier. You've made friends with him?" [i] He says with a smile, walking over and having a seat next to her. He was dressed in his typical outfit, a generic black t-shirt and slim fitting black jeans. The collar of the shirt showed a vertical sword scar on his collarbone, stretching over it towards his neck. It looked like someone had tried to sever his arm off his torso. Also, what looked like tattoo ink creeped above his collar, and it showed slightly on his stomach as his shirt stretched up when he sat. [/i]
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Edited by Chesh I Guess: 10/9/2016 11:52:49 PM[i]"I've known him for a long time, Mister..."[/i] [b]Lana generally did not talk, not with others around... But it seemed one on one she was more than willing.[/b] [b]With a giggle, she outstretched her arms and leaned back, sliding right off the branch, falling backwards... From a dangerous height.[/b]
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"You can call me Lance if you'd like." [i] He said with a smile, and started when she started to slide back. It was pure instinct to let loose a tendril of hardened shadow from the Palm of his hand to try and catch her, but if given more time, he would've guessed she didn't need any help after the origami show. [/i]
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[b]She giggled as the tendril latched around her. To her, most things were a game...[/b] [i]"You're funny..."[/i] [b]She said, hanging there, her hands outstretched. Alphonse garbled some noise nearby and chased the beetle up the tree trunk, making lots of noise in the process. These two probably got themselves in copious amounts of trouble.[/b] [i]"So Mister, what are you doing up here?"[/i]
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[i] He shook his head with a smile, this girl's happiness was infectious. The tendril withdrew back towards his hand, and pulled her back into a sitting position on the branch. [/i] "I enjoy heights.. they help me think. And something about being so high up with the precarious threat of death is somehow enlightening." [i] He says with a chuckle. [/i]
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[i]"You're weird, I don't get why Damien thinks your cool! You're just a weirdo!"[/i] [b]Despite her age, Lana still had the mindset of a young girl... Perhaps it was the Mourne Orphanage... Either way, she was altered and off... Despite her joy.[/b] [b]With another giggle, she pokes Lance's nose and plops down next to him, her knees folding under her.[/b] [i]"I'll tell you a secret though. I'm weird too...!"[/i]
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[i] Lance grins and nudges her with his shoulder.[/i] "You wanna know a secret? I think weird's cool. Normal is boring." [i] He winks at her before leaning forward off the branch, only to have his feet attach to the underside of the branch and left him standing upside down.[/i]
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[i]"Hey! You can do what Seth does! But he's a lazy bones and falls asleep like that... and when he wakes up, he falls."[/i] [b]She smirks as a distant voice calls out, catching her attention.[/b] [i]"Mistress Valentine! Mistress Valentine! I brought you food!"[/i] [b]The voice was stern, and deep but layered heavily with a British accent... Like a British Colonel. Lana simply rolled her eyes and skipped to the end of the branch watching down below as a strange creature jogged down below.[/b] [spoiler]https://i.imgur.com/bOmXWtV[/spoiler] [b]He had a face of metal and stone, with long strange horns. The rest followed suite, clad head to toe in silver/blue armor. At his back was a massive sheath containing a huge greatsword. His eyes were amber and beady, like a mouse.[/b] [i]"We don't have time for games, Mistress Valentine!"[/i]
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"Hello." [i] Lance gave a two fingered salute, studying the new arrival with curious eyes. He reminded him of a Minotaur, though he wouldn't say so.[/i] "You kinda remind me of a Minotaur." [i]Whoops.[/i]
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[i]"What...?! Mistress Valentine! Who is this heathen?!"[/i] [b]He glared at Ronin, pointing an accusing finger as Lana rolled her eyes, dangling her legs off the large branch.[/b] [i]"You are no fun Ridley! You can't call people names! And I'll only come down if you carry me down!"[/i] [b]The strange creature grumbled something and looked at the huge tree, his quest suddenly stopped short.[/b] [i]"Tree... Yes, yes! I Ridley Sven will conquer this task."[/i] // [b]Lana had watched for a distinct fifteen minutes as Ridley most certainly did not conquer the tree...[/b]
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"I'm guessing you don't conquer many tasks, do ya Ridley?" [i] Lance says with a smirk on his face, still watching Ridley from his upside down standing position, looking at Lana and back to Ridley with a chuckle. [/i]
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[b]Ridley gave the tree a frustrated kick and stomped back towards the place Lana dangled from.[/b] [i]"Mistress! This is no time! You must eat!"[/i] [i]"Throw me my food!"[/i] [b]She responded, her sounding very amused.[/b] [i]"Wha...? But... That's dumb..."[/i] [b]She nodded to him, encouraging him to throw an entire sandwich and fries combo.[/b] [i]"No! Ridiculous! I am your elder and you must listen to me!"[/i] [i]"Nooope!"[/i] [b]Ridley at this point had grown very impatient pacing down below. He was grumbling to himself about command and old teachings.[/b] [i]"Ridley is fun to mess with... But he gets cranky easily. Besides, Alphonse can get my food."[/i] [b]And in a flash, the creature swooped down and grabbed the small bag. Then in another mighty flap, he brought it to Lana.[/b] [i]"See...?"[/i] [b]She quickly dug through the contents and tossed her pet a French fry, who ate it hungrily, pressing his paws to his beak.[/b] [i]"Miss Valentine! Yo can't eat up there, you'll get sick!"[/i] [b]And in a mocking manner, Lana pulled down her mask slightly, revealing shockingly white lips and skin, before stuffing a handful of fries into her mouth. She was even paler then the color of snow...[/b]
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"I don't think there's anything in a handbook somewhere that says eating at heights can get you sick Ridley." [i] Lance says with a grin, passing his hand through the air and where it was empty, a cheeseburger materialized. He may have been Japanese decked, but he was American at heart. [/i] "Or upside down." [i] He raises an eyebrow at the color of Lana's skin. It was pretty in a way.. he'd have to ask her about it. When her overprotective Minotaur wasn't around. [/i]
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[i]"Fine!"[/i] [b]Ridley crossed his arms and plopped down on the ground, his head turning at an unnatural angle as he watched for danger. His usual thing to do when he was bored.[/b] [b]Lana, meanwhile, stuffed food into her mouth while tossing some to Alphonse who was all to happy to be getting something besides beetles.[/b] [i]"Guess Seth is sleeping... He's usual around this time of day..."[/i] [b]She remarked abruptly. She was incredibly awkward, but it gave her a sort of charm...[/b]
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"Is Seth normally around more than Ridley?" [i] Lance questioned, looking downwards at the strange little guy. He'd met Seth once, not a bad guy. And to be honest he liked him more than the overprotective British Minotaur. [/i]
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[i]"Yeah. But he's been sleeping a lot. He says something bad is coming."[/i] [b]She shrugged, finishing off her fries, tossing the rest of her sandwich to Alphonse.[/b] [b]She was right though. However, where he slept was a mystery... And how she knew so many people... And creatures. She seemed awfully popular.[/b]
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"You have a lot of friends Lana." [i] Lance says with a smile, sweeping his hair backwards but then realizing it was futile considering he was upside down.[/i] "That's pretty cool, it's a hard thing to do."
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[i]"To make friends...? Not really... You just gotta... Think about it..."[/i] [b]Suddenly, Ridley crumbled down below before turning into pure stone powder, only for something to crash through the ground... Massive in size... No... Gigantic. It was all metal, with water dripping off like it had been in the deep ocean, kelp clinging to its helmet. Red eyes suddenly stared up as the fifteen foot tall golem made a noise like a massive horn. In one hand he held a massive chain, the other, an anchor. The ground closed underneath him as he looked from Lana to Lance.[/b] [spoiler]https://i.imgur.com/ZXdaiAv[/spoiler] [i]"Say hi, Brutus!"[/i] [i]"DRRRRRRRRRRVVVVVVVVVVRRRTTTT!"[/i] [b]Its loud trumpet like assault sent the branch wobbling, leaves scattering, and water splattering across the pair, which Lana only giggled at.[/b] [i]"He's a good singer too."[/i]
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[i] Lance's eyes widened slightly and his eyebrows raised as water spatters across his shirt, sticking to his chest. Now he guessed what Damien meant by "multiple personalities."[/i] "Hey Brutus.." [i] Lance said with a wave, looking over at Lana.[/i] "It's not that easy for most of us.. How many friends do you have Lana?"
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[i]"A bunch! But Damien and Seth are my favorites!"[/i] [i]"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVV."[/i] [i]"You too, Brutus."[/i] [b]Looks like she wasn't going to give a super clear armor, but it was safe to assume Seth wasn't just 'sleeping'... And she didn't only count those that were seemingly in her head.[/b] [b]With a thunk, Alphonse landed on Brutus head, only for steam and a gust of hot air to startle him away. Brutus was massive... Abnormally large... But he also seemed to be a sort of gentle giant... But the anchor clearly wasn't for just hugs.[/b] [i]"And Alphonse is nice too when he isn't being a butt."[/i]
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"That's.. pretty cool." [i] Lance says with a smile, gears turning in his head. He guessed she could summon her "friends" when she wanted, and Seth was her most used one.[/i] "Alphonse is adorable too." [i] He says with a laugh. Even cold hearted wandering swordsman loved cute animals.[/i]
