13666/Practice Practice Practice

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Practice Practice Practice
Date of Scene: 25 July 2021
Location: Columbus Park - Chinatown
Synopsis: Practice, chatting, and then more practice.
Cast of Characters: Xiang Zhao, Yaozu Lin




Xiang Zhao has posed:
The sun had set perhaps an hour ago, but the lights of the park still keep everything here fairly illuminated. This is a good thing for eyes that don't see any better in the dark than the average human. With the hour being as late as it is, the park is all but deserted. The only one here is Xiang Zhao, which might be why he chose this time of night to come here. Whatever his reasons, the Chinaman is moving through the katas he knows. Despite having mastered them long ago, one never stops learning. And when a person stops practicing, those skills go stagnant and when they're most needed, will fail.

Xiang Zhao doesn't wish that to happen. And in reality, he enjoys the motions. The physical exertion. The peace they bring. The feeling of accomplishment whenever a move is successfully completed. With him having mastered them, this might seem a strange thing. Except that he's practicing them at speed. Curiously, he's using the fan that he favors as a sort of pseudo weapon, to all appearances. Perhaps he's using it as a mock sword? But some of the motions are quiet curious and don't seem to fit with how one would use a sword. Such as a curious sideways roll, almost like he's slicing the end of it across something.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
The setting of the sun is often a thing that serves as a lure for a great many things. There are little brown bats that flit through the pools of light cast by the park's lights, to catch the bugs that are drawn to it. The little sounds that they make are mostly inaudible, but Yaozu hears more than most do. He's come to the park as the setting of the sun often marks when the park is quieter, and this is significantly to his preference. He is dressed simply, for tonight -- a traditional set of Chinese robes that are black in colour, trimmed with a pale blue along the neckline and either sleeve. Since his transformation has completed, he seems to be favouring robes that have less in the way of embroidery on them, a thing which may be a conscious decision or one which may be subconscious in nature. His dark hair has been gathered into a neat and tidy braid that dangles the length of his back.

Yaozu has caught sight of Zhao, his shixiong's movements having caught his attention. He approaches as quietly as what he's able to do, his talons making sounds upon the grass. His arms are folded in front of himself, his hands vanished up into the opposing arm's sleeve. Once he has drawn closer, he stops in order to be able to continue to watch. He finds some of the movements to be curious, but he doesn't say anything in order to interrupt. He simply watches, and his head tilts a touch to one side as he admires the grace of his shixiong.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
By contrast, Zhao is dressed all in pale colors. Pale cream with embroidery of equally pale blue done in swirls, as if a cool wind were blowing over the robes. The robes move fluidly with his motions. Every inch of him exudes grace. ... up until the point where he doesn't step quite right and loses his balance. It's almost comical, the way he flails his arms until that balance has been found again. And then he does the move over again, executing it flawlessly the second time.

This is about the point that Yaozu has approached. He might not appear to notice the man, but he does. The motion of his approach in the lights if nothing else. He finishes another kata set, one that Yaozu may well be familiar with as having come from their shifu. Only then does Xiang Zhao come to a stop. As he's only breathing just a touch heavier than normal, the only thing to really give away how hard he was working, or how long, is the light sheen of sweat that can be seen upon his skin. Even his heart beat isn't much over what it normally is. Both breathing and heart beat come back to normal fairly quickly after he stops. "Hello, shidi," he says, glancing over his shoulder to his shixiong. He flips the fan open and fans himself with it, helping to cool himself.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
The embroidery of the robes is both noticed and admired as Yaozu watches, though his attention is more on the movements of his shixiong. Balance and grace are things that he's been struggling with ever since his transformation had completed. It's improved somewhat over the course of time, with the practice that he's been doing recently, but it is still far from what it was when he was still human. His head cants just a touch further to the side it was tilted to when there was that momentary loss of balance, that flailing of the arms, yet he still says nothing.

As the next kata set is started and gone through and completed, Yaozu remais where he stands. Watching, and recognizing the set of movements as ones he knows himself -- ones they learned from their shifu. His feathery ear tufts are lifted, perked up somewhat, and he listens to Zhao's breathing and heartrate. As he's greeted, there's a bit of a smile that parts his beak. "Good evening, shixiong," Yaozu says softly, moving only then to step closer. "I did not wish to interrupt your practice. The movements you were doing when I first caught sight of you were ones that I have not seen before," he adds, a thoughtful note to his voice.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Despite the workout he'd just put himself through, Xiang Zhao's hair, though looking a little windswept, is still more or less how it had been when he'd started. With the top pulled back and secured with a hair stick, a large feather with two smaller dangling feathers, white and abalone. The rest hangs loose down to the small of his back, a cascade of obsidian. One of the nice things about hair as straight as Zhao's is. Even tangled, it doesn't really look it.

"Mm," is all the reply that Zhao gives at first. As he goes through his katas in his mind, goes back over what he was doing when he'd first seen Yaozu approaching. "Ah. Yes. Those I did not learn from our shifu, but after he left the Mountain." He looks over his shidi with a critical eye, his expression, body language, and manner as relaxed as it ever is. The only thing that shows any stress at all is the waving of that fan. It's faster than it normally would be. Despite being an hour after sunset, the temperature is still quite warm, and very, very muggy. And with the fact that his skin isn't yet dry from his exertions, and his skin as pale is it normally is coupled with the wash of flourescent lights, might make him look paler than he actually is.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
The hairstick that Zhao wears is one that Yaozu has seen him wear before, yet it does manage to draw a bit of his attention to it. It makes a pretty sound. Yet Yaozu's attention readily returns to Zhao's features, studying his shixiong. His beak makes a soft snicking sound, and he notices the paleness that seems to fall across Zhao's skin and that seems to be at odds with the healthy colour of his lips. He is observant, and perhaps more so when around those he cares about. "I suspected that they may not have been from our shifu. Yet, I also suspect that there are kata that he practices and teaches that are ones that I do not know, ones that I will not be taught," he says, a thoughtful tone to his voice. He doesn't have magic, after all.

His gaze passes lightly over Zhao, and he tilts his head a touch to one side. Then he shifts his arms before withdrawing them from the sleeves they were in, revealing that he is carrying water bottle that's yet mostly full, the water within still cold. This, he extends towards Zhao with his left hand. "Would you care for a drink? It is just water," he offers. Alas, no peach wine, for he hasn't been able to find it. "How is your wound healing?" he asks, a flicker of curiosity and a touch of concern to his voice.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Xiang Zhao raises a brow at his shidi. He has noticed the fact that he's being studied, but more, this is at the words about their shifu. "Shifu will teach you what he can as you are ready for it," he says. "As will I." But, of course, nothing magic. His eyes shift from Yaozu's face to his hands as he moves them, and offers that water bottle. Zhao half bows to him and accepts the water. "Thank you, shidi, I would be grateful for some water," he says. Peach wine is something he either hasn't looked for or hasn't found either.

He folds the fan and tucks it under his arm before opening the water bottle. He takes a long, slow drink of it. Not too fast, for it's cold, and he is hot. Too hot, in fact, not that he lets it show. He takes a breath as he lowers the water bottle and looks curiously at Yaozu. "My wound?" He blinks, confused for a moment, and then smiles, ever so slightly. "Thank you for your concern. My wound is fully healed. All that remains is a scar that will fade with more time."

Yaozu Lin has posed:
"Yes, shixiong, I know this is what will come to pass," Yaozu says softly, inclining his head towards Zhao. "I have much to learn," he adds, a small smile parting his beak slightly. As Zhao accepts the water bottle, Yaozu half bows to him in turn, and his hands retreat back into his sleeves, his arms folding before him. "You are most welcome, shixiong. It is a habit that I am yet trying to get into, to carry water with me when I leave the base and venture for a walk," he says, a thoughtful note to his voice. It isn't easy to gain a habit, even a good one. "Drink as much as you wish," he adds, giving a small nod.

"Perhaps one of the vendors at the market will have peach wine in a few weeks. The season has started for them," Yaozu muses, lifting his gaze to the sky for a moment before his attention shifts back to Zhao. He doesn't drink excessively or even often, but peach wine has a bit of bittersweet memory attached to it and he gets a yearning for it now and again. He tilts his head to one side, a touch surprised at the response, the gesture slightly more owlish than human. "Yes, shixiong, your wound. It... well. If you will pardon me for saying so, it has not been enough time for it to be healed to that point," he comments, his voice soft. Which is true, if the wound were healing entirely naturally.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Xiang Zhao studies his shidi in turn. "We all have much to learn," he says. "Learning never stops. If you stop learning, you die," he says in that soft, calm voice of his. He lifts the water bottle and takes another long, slow drink. After, he recaps the bottle and offers it back to Yaozu. "Thank you, shidi." He nods about peach wine. "Perhaps," he agrees. He takes the fan and flips it open again, to resume fanning himself. He's still too hot, but the lack of sunline coupled with the water and now the fanning resuming is helping that a great deal.

Zhao hasn't yet displayed a tendency for drinking alcohol. Perhaps he doesn't partake. Or perhaps he simply hasn't drank where any can really seem him thus far. His lips twitch upward at Yaozu's assertion that his wound couldn't possibly be healed in that amount of time. "You do not believe me," he observes, lips twitching upward. "I can heal myself, at a faster rate than most heal."

The fan slows, and stops. Zhao tucks the fan under his arm once again, and moves to shift his robes out of the way so his side, just above his hip, can be seen. The wound is as he had stated. Healed but for a scar that will likely mostly fade in time.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
The avian's feathery ear tufts go back for a moment before rising back up again, and then he gives a small nod. "Yes, this is true. There is always more to learn," Yaozu says in agreement. As the water bottle is offered back to him, he half bows and then withdraws his left hand in order to accept the bottle. "You are welcome, shixiong," he says softly, a smile parting his beak a little bit. If he's too warm, it doesn't show at all, but then, he doesn't sweat as he used to when he was human.

"I do not drink it often, but it has a pleasing flavour," Yaozu says softly, of the peach wine. He generally only buys it in the summer, to savour it in the warmer weather. He does, no doubt, have his own reasons for the behaviour, but whatever they might be, he doesn't share them.

"Mmm. I have not seen a wound heal in that much less time than what it should otherwise take," Yaozu says softly, his head ducking slightly. "I know that there are a great may things that I have not seen that are possible, that magic is real, but I have never considered it could be used for healing. I mean no disrespect, shixiong," he says a bit sheepishly. His hands remain within his sleeves as he watches Zhao shift the robes to move them out of the way so that he can see the scar that the wound has become, and he looks over the scar before giving a small shake of his head. "It is hard to believe, shixiong, that it could be healed to such a point... and yet, it is," he says softly, sounding a bit amazed by it, really.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
Xiang Zhao inclines his head ever so slightly, acknowledging that Yaozu does not drink often. "I do not drink often either," he admits. Though, he doesn't explain why, there's almost certainly a reason. Maybe it's a religious thing where he's from. Then again, probably not. Yaozu would have seen their shifu drink on occasion as well, and without qualms when he did so. Typically, only wine.

About his scar, he simply nods. "Mm." His lips curl up ever so slightly, and as he straightens his robes back to their original position, he speaks. "Have you never wondered why shifu is rarely injured? Or injured for long on the rare occasions that he is injured?" Robes now back in place, he takes the fan once more and opens it to begin fanning himself anew. "It might be good to know that the both of us can use our energy to heal others in a smiliar fashion."

Yaozu Lin has posed:
Stronger liquors have never managed to lure Yaozu to them, perhaps on account of how strong the alcohol flavour is or perhaps simply because he doesn't like them. He doesn't give a lot of thought, at this point, to Zhao's reasons for not drinking often. His own tastes aren't that different, after all. He can recall having seen their shifu drink by times, and so perhaps they both learned it in part from their master as well as from their own experiences.

His feathery ear tufts perk up, and he tilts his head a bit to one side before giving a small shake of his head. "I had never wondered over it, when I was younger. Now that you mention it, I do not recall him being injured very often or for very long. I most likely attributed it to his skills, when I was that age," he comments, ducking his head slightly. There's a bit of surprise that shows in his eyes at the mention of being able to use it for others, and he gives a small nod. "That is a very good and useful thing to know. Though I hope that I do not become injured to such a point as that I would need the healing, as I would suspect that since it uses your energy that it could be wearying," Yaozu says, watchinng Zhao.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
There is one main reason for Zhao's reluctance to drink most alcohols. His sense of smell is too good, and liquor is not pleasant to his nose. "It can be wearying," he agrees. He looks toward the moon hanging high in the sky, then back to his shidi. "But it would be worth it." He doesn't mention how often he has to use his energy to heal another, or himself, for that matter, but there is something about him that says he'd do so irregardless of the cost to save the life of another.

"Are you here to practice tonight, shidi?" He looks curious. "If so, I shall help you. Have you been practicing the wing excercises I taught you?" Those would have consisted of several excercises. The most important being Yaozu holding onto something solid with his feet, and beating his wings. The others with holding his wings extended in various poses.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
For a moment, Yaozu's gaze follows Zhao's up to the sky and to the moon hanging there. And he's quiet whilst he admires it and the stars that have come out as well. Yet once the momnet has passed, his attention turns back to Zhao. "Does it happen very often, that you heal yourself or another?" he asks, a bit of curiosity behind the question. "I will try to be careful, that I will not have to take such a toll upon you," he says softly, inclining his head slightly towards Zhao. He doesn't know that he regenerates, as of yet -- he hasn't hurt himself since his change completed.

"Yes, shixiong. I did come to practice toight. It is cooler at this hour, and quieter," he says, a small smile parting his beak. "I would appreciate and welcome your help. I have been practicing the wing exercises that you taught me. I usually practice them in the morning before going through the katas," Yaozu says, giving a small nod. He suspects that he has a ways to go before he'll feel ready to fly, and when that time comes, he may need to impose on Liansong rather than Zhao, or perhaps foolishly take his chances on trying it by himself.

Xiang Zhao has posed:
"Mm." That seems to be all the answer Yaozu is getting to the question of frequency of healing. Himself or others! Zhao doesn't seem inclined to elaborate on that one. He shakes his head at his shidi. "You should be careful irregardless," he points out. It's the truth, afterall! "Mm. I may have to start comign at some hours before dawn. It is getting to be too warm for my liking, even after the sun has set." Which is telling for the sorts of temperatures where he's used to living.

"Are you remembering to practice them with your katas? As well as the tail excercises?" More of the same as the wing excercises. "Mastering how to flex and operate both tail and wings is going to be important." When the time comes for trying out flight, Zhao ... may or may not help there. While he can float in a controlled fashion, it is still nothing resembling actual flight. Thus, he is not remotely qualified. "I have a friend," he says, tone thoughtful. "Who flies. She may be able to help you." He knows nothing of Liansong, afterall.

Yaozu Lin has posed:
Yaozu doesn't seem to be upset by the fact that his question doesn't get answered, nor does he seem to mind. Asking a question doesn't guarantee getting an answer, after all. His ear tufts shift a bit, and then he gives a small nod. "Yes, shixiong. You are right. And I do try to be careful," he comments. He hasn't been sent on any missions since his transformation finished -- since he's adjusting to his physical changes, he doesn't particularly mind it that way. "It is cooler in the dawn. Especially if there has been a dew the night before, it seems. I hope it will not end up getting too much warmer," he adds.

"Mm, yes, shixiong. I have been practicing them with my katas as well. And the tail exercises," he affirms, giving a small nod. "Both of those things will be very important. For flying, and for other things, as well," Yaozu says, a thoughtful tone to his voice. He is, at least, starting to feel less uncomfortable with his physical changes, too, but it's a thing that takes time. He tilts his head a bit to one side when Zhao mentions his flying friend. "If she is willing, I would appreciate what help she may provide," he says softly. He has a feeling that he could likely use all the help he can get when it comes to flying. Though he does yet plan to speak with Liansong about flying, too.

Yaozu slips his hands free of his sleeves, bringing them to his sides. "Let us practice, and we can speak further of such things afterwards," he says, a smile parting his beak. He steps somewhat aside to place the water bottle onto the ground. With that settled, he steps into an open enough space to be able to start going through the katas that Zhao has been helping him regain his balance with. There are still corrections to be made, but for the next couple of hours, Yaozu will practice with Zhao to help where it's needed.