10810/I'll Know Kung Fu

I'll Know Kung Fu
Date of Scene:	21 January 2020
Location:	Chikara Dojo, Lower East Side
Synopsis:	Samuel checks out the Chikara Dojo for a martial arts lesson and ends up a participant in a secret war between the Punisher, Iron Fist, and--the Serpent Society?
Cast of Characters:	Iron Fist, Samuel Morgan, Punisher

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Iron Fist has posed:
It's a cool January evening in New York City.

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the Chikara Dojo, Danny Rand tilts his head at a slight angle and raises his eyebrows at the man before him. "So. You've come to learn kung fu, I bet? Well, I'm afraid that on Mondays it's just me--the dojo's main teacher is here most other days. So you're welcome to either come back to see her, or you can get in a basic lesson with me. The name's Danny, by the way."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    The man is nothing more than a teenager, and a very plain looking one at that. He'd come in from the street and missed even the most basic of etiquette, not removing his combat boots until told to do so, but at least appearing apologetic about it. He is accompanied by a German Shepherd, dressed in a distinctive high visibility yellow jacket, declaring the canine to be a licensed service animal... and the tag on his collar declares the friendly looking dog to be named Bear.

    Bean stands with his hands behind his back, at parade rest. He nods to Danny's explanation. "I see. My name is Sam, some people call me Bean. From what I've heard this dojo is the best in the city, and there is nowhere to start but from the basics. Always work from first principles." He seems polite enough but the eyes... the eyes are wrong.

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny nods, still smiling. "True enough. Of course, I've got to ask--you've got the bearing of a military man. What are you looking to pick up here? Just different tactics? Widening the repertoire, so to speak?"

He leans to one side and pushes himself with one arm to his feet. "Not really a problem or anything like that. Just curious to know what you're seeking so that, hopefully, I can help you find it."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    For a moment, Bean looks over to Bear, and nods his head over towards the door. He seems to be expecting some activity in the area, and doesn't want the Shepherd to get in the way. Obediently, Bear traipses over to where Bean's boots are stood, and lays down next to them.

    "There are some things I prefer not to talk about." the teenager replies, shifting his weight to one foot and twisting his opposite shoulder in just slightly. "But yes, I've... had some previous training. It's just that I don't think it's sufficient for what's been happening around me lately."

Iron Fist has posed:
"Alright," Danny replies, running a hand back through his hair. "So would it be safe to assume that you're looking to add more to a 'self defense' toolbox, so to speak?" He gestures with a nod to his right side, where a set of training mats lie on the floor. "Or do you want to become a weapon and deal pain and suffering, or at least find some sort of catharsis through action?" He gestures to his left side, where a wooden wing chun training dummy sits.

"Or maybe something else entirely?" Danny asks, hands out before him, palms upturned.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    On his bare feet, Bean stands immobile on the training floor, the sacred ground of the Dojo. He glances left, glances right, never taking his eyes fully off Danny, his posture betraying that he's expecting to be attacked at any moment. Used to dealing with straight forward questions and no-nonsense tutors, the Kung Fu approach is ... well, a challenge.

    "Become?" An eyebrow rises, the remark about 'living weapons' clearly went home. Bear perks his ears up, sitting at sudden attention. "There's no catharsis in violence. When it's done, you're just as hollow inside as when you began. More so, usually." His eyes, nearly dead of all human expression, settle on Danny's, his hands unclasping from behind his back. "They say it's possible to find peace through Kung Fu. True inner peace. But can there be peace for a weapon when it's been discarded, Danny?"

Iron Fist has posed:
Quiet for a moment, Danny shrugs and clears his throat. "Is a weapon discarded when it is set aside, or when it changes hands? Or when it becomes a tool? The hammer can be a weapon and not a weapon, after all."

He smiles and narrows his eyes slightly. "Do you think I'm going to surprise-attack you or something? That would be a pretty jerk-ish lesson." Danny chuckles. "Besides, if we're talking weapons--wouldn't it be far more powerful to let you know in advance that an attack was coming and then still have it succeed?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "That's a question I haven't answered yet." Bean smiles, at least cordial with someone who runs a dojo. "Some weapons can't be turned into tools. Some tools become weapons, and then become tools again. Some weapons are made to be only weapons."

    The narrowed eyes get him to shift into a defensive posture... it's an odd one, conforming to no real martial style, looking like it's a mixture of styles around the world. One open palm, one clenched fist, but reversed unless he's left handed. "My previous teacher said there was no better lesson than to be surprised. It teaches you to pay attention. Considering I still remember that, it must have been a good lesson."

Iron Fist has posed:
"Perhaps," Danny replies, nodding again. "But sometimes the weapon, even acting in its purpose as a weapon, is also not a weapon. So perhaps part of the lesson must be transforming 'can't' into 'can'. Making a thing into a not-thing. Or a not-thing into a thing."

As Samuel assumes a defensive stance, Danny rolls his shoulders, his body leaning just a bit forward, torso balanced over his hips and knees. "So be it," he says cheerfully.

Then, Danny lunges, lifting his front-positioned right foot just enough so that he can push forward with his left to slide over the floor, his right arm extending out to attempt a closed-fist strike aimed at Samuel's solar plexus.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Now you're just talking nonsense." Clearly Bean has never read the wisdom of Lao-Tzu, and may have a few things to say about the assertion that a bowl is most useful when empty. His life has been filled with too much certainty and precision for that.

    When the strike comes, he was clearly expecting it, and responds in a quick and competent counter. His right arm, used as his off hand, sweeps up and around to deflect the strike to his right, turning his torso to the right as well while stepping forward and left in a balanced stride rather than a step. His left arm comes down, bladed, to push Danny's engaged shoulder in the direction of motion and thus push him bodily away. It's workmanlike, it's efficient, it doesn't require a lot of motion or energy... and he's clearly not anticipating it to fail.

    It's not a move taught in any martial art school...

Iron Fist has posed:
The downward elbow is quick, and accurately targeted, but Danny's shoulder just isn't there at the moment of intended impact.

Instead, once his fist moves past where it meant to, the man rolls to his left, corkscrewing in the air. His left hand on the ground, Danny twists at the waist, his legs kicking out in an effort to grab Samuel's arm and pull him /further/ downward and off-balance. As he does so, he keeps twisting at the waist, trying to pull himself back upright as a counterweight.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    The moment, the very instant, that his arm misses the target, when he notices that Danny isn't actually where he thought he was going to be, Bean knows he's dealing with a serious opponent. One, in fact, of a level of skill he hasn't encountered in quite some time. This is going to take some improvisation, and the application of more than two brain cells.

    When his arm is trapped, the teenager resorts to a different tactic, knowing well what to do in a grapple. It is, in fact, his preferred method of disabling an opponent, and is no stranger to being on the receiving end. So he goes where he's supposed to go, forward and down... Until, with a loud stamp on the polished floor, he brings down his off hand foot, pivots around it, and aims a roundhouse kick at Danny's center of mass while rotating his body back upright, letting his shoulder pull back against the motion to act as a backstop.

Iron Fist has posed:
While he's able to leap upright, Danny's not going to escape the trajectory of the roundhouse. So instead he steps into it, his left arm bent and in front of himself. As he steps, he turns left-forward, hoping to catch the back of Samuel's leg, rather than his foot.

At the same time, Danny's rotation involves him lifting up his left foot, and he tries to rabbit-kick down at the back of the knee on Samuel's supporting leg.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    It's like he just tried to kick a solid wall. There's a split second where Bean has the time to regret having underestimated Danny, before the kick against his knee sends him down to the floor. Or would have, if Danny weren't now in full control of not only his shoulder but one of his legs as well. It's not a good sight.

    "Well crap... That's embarrassing."

Iron Fist has posed:
Shaking his head, Danny reaches down, offering a hand to Samuel. "Not at all. That was a pretty excellent showing for someone who's supposedly looking for something 'new'."

He chuckles. "So, we've gotten that out of the way. But that's just the superficial stuff. Kung fu's not really so much about the fighting as it is the mindset. And it's way harder to get your brain into that mindset in the middle of a match. Know what I mean?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    It's the /right/ hand that reaches up so Bean can pull himself upright. There's no difficulty there, plenty of upper body strength to accomplish the task, and at the same time he shows that he was leading with his off hand the entire time. Clearly, the bait wasn't taken... or, perhaps, it didn't matter.

    "I do know what you mean." And Bean rotates his shoulder... there's a slight click. Much better. "Do you have any idea how long it's been since someone beat me?"

Punisher has posed:
It's at this point that there's a knock at the back entry to the Dojo.

*knock knock*

Samuel will immediately sense a bunch of milspec technology on a figure just outside of it, including an onboard computer for a pair of pistols.

Iron Fist has posed:
"Well, I don't know if I'd say /beat/," Danny replies. "It was more of--"

The knock makes him pause, and he turns to listen for a moment.

"Well," he says quietly. "I've got a visitor. It's fine. It's totally fine. If it's who I think I know who it is, then Bite Squad came earlier than I'd scheduled. You're welcome to wait here, if you like. It should just take a second."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    It's hard not to notice that particular signature. There's really only one person that Bean has ever known to walk around with that amount of hardware as a matter of course. There's a complicated whistle, and Bear moves away from the door, the combat boots in his muzzle, carrying them over to the other corner of the room.

    For his part, the teenager stretches out against one of the pillars, entirely nonchalant. "No, beat me fair and square. And you can tell the Punisher to come in, it's okay. We've met."

Punisher has posed:
Frank Castle doesn't wait to come inside. The door is clearly opened audibly, and in steps the Punisher.

"Kid, do you not have a home security system?" Punisher asks aloud directly. "Any asshole with a gun could just walk in here and have fun blastin' up this place to get to you." The door shuts, audibly.

"Fuck this. We need to talk."

Punisher starts walking inside. He's wearing his traditional trenchcoat and skull vest, along with a gear web. He probably pulled up in the Battle Van into the neighborhood and snuck his way over.

Iron Fist has posed:
Furrowing his brow for a second, Danny looks quizzically at Samuel. "Wait. You /know/ the--?"

The Punisher enters, and Danny spins to look at him instead. "Oh, come on! I would've opened--" he begins, but stops and shakes his head. "I /am/ a security system. I just don't use the same equipment you do."

Putting his weight on one leg, Danny folds his arms across his chest. "But you said you wanted to talk. We can talk." He glances at Samuel. "At least, I'm guessing that, if you've met the Punisher, you're probably not going to be too surprised by anything he might say."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Considering we shot up some jewel thieves not too long ago in the Natural History Museum, I figure there's nothing you two can talk about that's going to surprise me." Of course, Bean might be wrong about that.

    And the mention of not having a security system... that comment gets to him as well. With a frown, the teenager looks around, raises an eyebrow. "So ehmm... what about those three security bugs then?" In fact, he helpfully points them out. "The one at the top of that pillar just below ceiling level, the one next to the training dummy and the one just above the microwave in the kitchen nook? Not yours? Want me to switch them off?"

Punisher has posed:
"Those are mine. I've been monitoring this kid to see who visits." Punisher grates out in reply to Samuel as he walks over. Samuels' been met a few times, and so far, Microchip hasn't heard anything about him ratting out Frank... so it seems Punisher at least doesn't *distrust* him.

Though... that's not saying much....

Punisher's eyes go to Danny, then. "Relying on one security system layer is the mark of an amateur, kid. Each one of my safehouses has redundancies."

Iron Fist has posed:
With a shrug, Danny clears his throat. "Maybe so. But some might say that a reputation for ass-kicking is its own layer, too. Regardless--I don't think you're here for an assessment of the dojo's security plan."

He looks to Samuel. "It's how you can tell we're friends, you see. Three bugs--that's how you know he cares. And while we're at it, since it matters here and now: have /you/ had any run-ins recently with a gang that wears a snake emblem?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Well, good to know that all security breaches are in fact put there by your friends." Bean mentions, almost deadpan but with just a bit of humor creeping in. But in the presence of Frank, he loses his smile quickly enough and goes almost entirely matter of fact.

    "How many heads on the snake symbol?" Because he knows one that he absolutely, positively had a run-in with. He just hopes they're not the 'gang' these people are looking for, because that would be an awkward conversation. Except perhaps for Microchip, who might already know if he's been doing enough digging. "I take it we're not talking about the Foot? I'm surprised that war hasn't kicked off yet."

Punisher has posed:
"I've been fightin' the Foot assholes on and off for months. Most of the city seems to be runnin' with them though, so they're a long term project." Punisher informs Samuel. Then, he turns to Danny again. "I actually came to give you a status update and see if this hole was bugged by someone other than me... but fuck, if you're this terrible about security, maybe we should talk about that instead."

Iron Fist has posed:
"You know, in K'un-Lun, this was never an issue," Danny protests, sighing audibly. "The universe will provide. Setting up all kinds of fancy security and the like--it'll either work or it won't. No different than being a physical deterrent myself."

He looks back and forth from Samuel to the Punisher. "I'm guessing, though, that neither of you is going to be swayed by that argument. So maybe we should just hear that status update. I don't know about you, but I haven't seen much of the Serpent Society gang since that one night, and that worries me."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Not surprised you've been fighting them. One of their previous associates has called an all out war against them, because it's digging into his profit margins. They invited me to join, I wasn't impressed with their professionalism." There's more Bean can say on that topic, it seems, but that's about as far as he'll go. And he nods to Frank. "Just those three bugs and the one that's on Danny's phone. I'm assuming that's yours too. If it's not, I recommend not calling him."

    Having stretched out, he walks over to Bear and kneels down to fuss the German Shepherd between the ears. "Never heard of the Serpent Society, at least not under that name, although they might be a subsidiary."

Punisher has posed:
"Fine kid, it's your funeral when someone doesn't give a fuck about your rep -like me- and comes in and knifes your throat in your sleep." Punisher grates. "But I'm not your fuckin' babysitter. When you get this hole blown to fuck, I'll even help you rebuild with better security."

Then, Punisher reaches into his trenchcoat and pulls out a tablet from a pocket... and shows it to Danny. "This is the route that asshole from the other night has been goin'. I've also noticed the gangs workin' with them seem to be calmin' down."

Iron Fist has posed:
Accepting the tablet with some hesitation, Danny spends a minute looking at its displayed data. "Huh. So it wasn't just me, then." He looks up at Frank. "I was worried you were going to tell me that they'd been all over you. But they're not. That's ... good?"

He shakes his head. "It's not, though--I know it's not--but it feels weird to me to say that less presence is somehow a worse outcome. Why would they disappear now? They told us they were working up toward something. And I think us telling them we weren't interested in joining up wouldn't lead to them leaving us alone."

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny turns to Samuel. "The Serpent Society is an organization of snake-themed criminals. Kind of weird, but I've seen weirder. They normally /don't/ use martial arts, though, from my experience. Only, now--recently--they /do/." He raises an eyebrow. "Weird, right?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "For the sake of appearances, I'll look away from that screen." Of course, as a technopath, he doesn't have to have sight on it to know what's being displayed. But Bean is nothing if not courteous when a man toting enough firepower to level a small city is nearby. Not to mention a man who just kicked his ass hand to hand. Aside from his slightly greater aptitude with technology, he's feeling very much like the apprentice all of a sudden.

    He nods to Danny. "Most organisations don't change their doctrine that quickly, unless they're a completely different organisation that has just taken over and are disguising their true identity under the symbology of the previous one." Say what? They don't teach that in school, do they? "And there's only two possible reasons why they would ask you to join and then leave you alone when you refuse. The first is that they can't accomplish their task without you, so they've decided to call it quits. I'll class that one highly unlikely. The other, more likely explanation, is that they have already accomplished their goal, or are so close to accomplishing their goal that they don't think you'll be able to stop them or make a difference anymore."

Punisher has posed:
"When activity drops, it usually means mission accomplished." Punisher agrees with Samuel. "The difference here is this is probably wizard bullshit, so low activity doesn't mean much if they just started to fuckin' teleport around the city or somethin'."

Iron Fist has posed:
Danny rubs his chin, nodding. "Sadly, you're probably right. And that doesn't bode well for ... well, anyone. Davos," he adds, looking to Samuel, "he's someone I have history with, and he's apparently taken charge of the Serpent Society ... Davos has, in the past, only ever wanted the power of Shou-Lao the Undying."

"Uh, that's an immortal dragon," Danny quickly mentions. "In the secret city of K'un-Lun. I know. A lot of history to take in here. But if he's accomplished his goals, then I think we're about to experience something /really/ destructive. I just--I just don't know what it is."

The tracking data shows a lot of movement, even if there's been relatively little overt activity. But that movement has lessened, just as the Punisher has said.

Still, one can make a guess as to the gang's likely base of operations--if only because it seems like a void of activity within the radius of movement, like the gang members being tracked don't, or can't, go there.

Somewhere under the northern end of the Manhattan Bridge.

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Ultimate destructive power, wanted by someone who absolutely under no circumstances should have it, with origin in some kind of secret place that probably doesn't want him there. Got it." When in doubt, reduce it down to bare facts. It's always worked for Bean, makes it easier not to get bogged down in detail.

    "So you have at least one HVT, you're familiar with their MO, you even have a name. From the tracking data, it seems you have a likely command post. I... don't need to tell you what to do next, do I?" He raises an eyebrow at Danny. "I mean, I'm the student here, so I'm guessing you've both got this?"

    "And if they're teleporting, it'd be good to find out if they're using technology or innate abilities. I've heard of both. Oh, and actual magic. Seen that a few times as well. They each have counters. Some are just harder."

Punisher has posed:
"Patience is a virtue all it's own, but yeah... I've been mappin' this shit out for a few days now. There comes a time it goes from stakeout to surgical strike." Punisher notes, before he looks to Danny.

"When I go in, I go all in. If we're gonna do this, I need to know; do you think infiltration is in order, or should I bring my big guns to level the place?"

Iron Fist has posed:
"Didn't you just tell me that a single layer of security is a bad plan?" Danny asks, one corner of his mouth upturned. "Why not go in as quietly as we can, and then fall back to scorched earth when and if needed?"

He shrugs. "That is, the more flexible we can be, the better. But once those guns start firing, stealth is off the table. Do you want it to be off the table immediately?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    Another eyebrow lifts now. Bean blinks, slowly. Not, it seems, at the mention of going in guns blazing, but at Danny's response. He has to... he has to jump in here. "You know... weapons fire isn't the end of stealth. You know that right? It's just the end of stealth for whoever is firing the weapon."

Punisher has posed:
"You know this Davos better than I do. I'm practical enough to know when to defer to anothers expertise." Punisher points out, "As he said, weapons fire isn't the end of stealth... but there is something to be said about not playing whack a mole and just tossing a grenade on top of the whole lot of them at once. My specialty is warfare. Yours is... whatever the fuck these assholes are doin'."

Punisher presses a button on the tablet, and a partial map of the area around the bridge pops up. "Is this Davos likely to have escape routes in place, or can we get most of the rats in the hidey hole with one big attack?"

Iron Fist has posed:
"Of course," Danny replies. "But neither Davos nor the Serpent Society are going to assume the Punisher's acting alone. They've already witnessed us working together. If their activity hadn't decreased, I would have assumed we're being watched right now by someone."

"And not with a bug," he adds, waving toward Frank's surveillance tech. "I mean a spy watching from a nearby roof or the like. Maybe one is anyway, but I doubt it." The tracking tech, of course, doesn't show anything happening in the area.

At the question of one big attack, Danny is quiet for a beat. "I don't know. I hope so. Davos isn't stupid, but ... he wants to be in control. He needs it. I expect he'll have his acolytes nearby so that they can witness his victory."

"The biggest question for me is what role the scrolls from K'un-Lun play in all this," Danny says, shaking his head. "Maybe a way to try and harness power? To steal it from Shou-Lao? From me?"

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "They're not watching." Bean mentions, entirely confident of himself. "I don't walk into a building with a prominent window like this without checking the nearby area first. And I'm pretty sure the Punisher's associate will have eyes in the sky. Or if he doesn't yet, he will as soon as he hears us discussing the possibility." Because the teenager isn't stupid enough to think that Microchip isn't listening. Not with that many open connections.

    "But I agree that going in without knowing the end game is probably not the best option. There's a lot that I don't know about magic, but when scrolls get involved... and you mention they could steal power from you? Even chance you going in there is exactly what this Davos wants. Make themselves obvious for a bit, give you that cryptic offer, take no offense when you inevitably refuse, make a very obvious track back to their base..."

    In theory, he's the only one they don't know about. Ah crap. "You know that all this is going to affect how much you can charge me for these lessons, right?"

Punisher has posed:
"Microchip monitors everything I do via my commlink when I'm in the field. If I get fucked, he'll know it. We have drones setup for big boom extractions, and I have plan C for handling the mess." Punisher informs the two of them. "You don't get to survive in a war with the underworld if you can't trust your operations partner with everything you do."

"When you put it like that..." Punisher looks to Danny with narrowed eyes, "is this guy tryin' to steal somethin' from you? You might be the perfect bait to lure him out, then." Punisher grates out, before he mimes aiming a rifle at Danny, "then I get to put a round through his skull when he shows up."

Iron Fist has posed:
"It's a possibility," Danny says, "so I don't want to discount it. But if we can get in without having to play that card, either, I'd be happy." He clears his throat. "That's why I think Davos wanted to 'invite' me to his cult."

Danny scans the tablet again. "Whatever happens, we can't wait too long. If they really /are/ close to accomplishing their goals, that doesn't offer much of a window for success. How long would it take for you to get ready?" he asks Frank. "And if you want to help, you can. You've shown you can hold your own," he adds to Samuel. "But I also understand if you don't feel like it's your fight."

Samuel Morgan has posed:
    "Once you can't trust your partner, might as well pack it in." Bean agrees, speaking with a surprising bitterness. As if in response to the rising tension, Bear drops the teenager's combat boots next to him, and then very pointedly nudges at his own leash. Yeah... Given the hint, Sam sits down and starts to put on his socks and boots. Side zips, what an invention!

    "Someone told me, don't know when it was, that weapons can be tools if you use them right. Or something like that anyway. Depends on who wields them." A pointed look towards Danny, and a bit of a grin. "And that sometimes there's catharsis in a fight. Turns out I've been looking for a fight, any fight. Might as well be yours, right?"

    At that he stands and taps his leg, causing the German Shepherd named Bear to follow, leash still in maw. "You've got my number, both of you" Well... they do now. Being a technopath has its perks. "And now if you'll excuse me, I need to walk my dog."

Punisher has posed:
"And I need to go prep for this." Punisher finishes, yanking the tablet unceremoniously away from Danny to replae it where it was. "Give it about a day to get my gear, and I'll keep in touch."

With that, Punisher heads right back out the way he came, stealthing his way back to the Battle Van.