588/The Leopard and the Snake

The Leopard and the Snake
Date of Scene:	24 May 2017
Location:	Central Park, New York City
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Zhao Lin, Sibilance

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Zhao Lin has posed:
It's a fairly sunny day in Manhattan, and down in Central Park there's people about all over. One section of the park has a recently felled tree stump still sticking up out of the ground, and it's upon this stump that Zhao Lin sits. The feline man is sitting in lotus position, his hands resting in his lap, cradling his canteen. His tail sways slowly behind him, his eyes are closed, and he meditates through deep breaths. He is waiting for his new student to arrive, having previously agreed upon a time and a place to begin their training. Most people ignore the bestial man, but there are those that choose to hurl insults at him due to his inhuman nature. Zhao Lin ignores them, waiting patiently, for Sibilance to arrive.

Sibilance has posed:
Right as another chooses to insult Zhao, Sibil is there as they turn around. As they turn around, she is already reaching up to flick them on the nose. Not enough to so much as bruise them, but enough to startle and embarrass them. "Boom, you are dead. Maybe you should work on your instincts before harassing people," she says, making solid eye contact as she does so. "Or are you just so miserable you must take it out on those not fortunate enough to be normal? Why don't you think about your decisions a little harder."
She doesn't even wait for an answer, she just calmly grabs him by the shoulder and pushes him aside, letting the subtle mental manipulation smother him in embarrassment and self-reflection. He probably isn't gonna stick around, so she approaches Zhao and stops before him. "... hello, Master Lin," she says, giving the customary bow. She isn't even hiding her snake features anymore.

Zhao Lin has posed:
Zhao Lin opens his eyes when Sibil is finally in front of him. He offers her a smile, and his tail flicks behind him. "I see you are no longer masking yourself," he comments, "That is good. Be proud of who you are, Sibilance." He rumbles deeply and slips off the tree stump to stand, and bows in return to her. "Have you been well?" he asks, "Last I heard you were still trying to decide what path your life should take." He takes a swig from his canteen, though he appears mostly sober, at the moment. He doesn't seem interested in acknowledging the person who hurled insults at him. Zhao Lin has heard worse, it would seem. "Are you ready for your first lesson?"

Sibilance has posed:
"I chose SHIELD," Sibilance tells Zhao, "They have... interesting ideas for training, I'm looking forward to something that doesn't end in me thinking I'm gonna die." Considering the awkward smile she makes and her tone, she probably wasn't in any sort of danger. She calmly adjusts her shirt again, because it feels weird on her when she's been wearing all that covering clothing. "Let's start. I'm ready."

Zhao Lin has posed:
Zhao Lin grins a little, his tail swishing. "Training to survive often involves thinking you might die if you fail. Nothing is a stronger motivator." He walks with her into a more open area, with fewer people to get in the way. "I am going to teach you basic forms first, we will work to more advanced ones. Show me your horse stance," he tells her, looking her over. He takes another drink from his canteen, brow lifting slightly. "I will have you practice horse stance every day, so you must get used to it."

Sibilance has posed:
Sibilance follows along with Zhao to the new, more open spot, and laughs nervously at the mention of how effective that training was. "It, uh... it did teach me a few things," she admits. Then she finds a nice spot that seems comfortable, and she's... told to take the horse stance. When he says 'horse stance,' she picks up on what he means through his surface memory, cheating a little bit with her powers. It isn't perfect, but she takes the stance and then looks to him for confirmation.

Zhao Lin has posed:
"Mmn," Zhao Lin intones as he watches her, considering her posture as he walks around her. "Straighter back," he says, one hand on her lower back and the other on her shoulder to gently correct her. "And lower." The hand on her shoulder presses her down further, until she's holding a rather uncomfortable position, as if she were sitting but with nothing but her legs to support her. "Arms out, as well," he tells her, making sure she's holding both of her arms out in front of her. Then he steps around in front of her again, and sits down, without another word. He watches her, and takes a drink from his canteen.

Sibilance has posed:
Sibilance is obedient to taking the stance for a long time. It keeps on like this, on and on, and probably much longer than he might expect. He hasn't really seen the upper range of her strength just yet. A few minutes in and she wonders, "So... how long do I have to do this?" Her tongue flickers out and she looks at Zhao critically, waiting for him to give her the go ahead to stop with this silly posture. She isn't being impatient, but she knows she can sit in weird positions for a very long time and doesn't want to be here all day.

Zhao Lin has posed:
"Until I am satisified," Zhao Lin tells her, before he takes another drink. His tail sways slowly, but really he's only making her hold the positure for a short time, ten or so minutes. Great strength does not necessarily mean she will be able to hold horse stance for a long time, but Zhao Lin wanted to be certain. "That is enough," he finally says, getting back up to his feet, "You are clearly strong enough." He adopts another stance, weight on his forward foot, one arm oustretched in a fist, the other held near his waist, his other leg stretched behind him. "This is gong bu, bow stance," he tells her, waiting for her to adopt the same.

Sibilance has posed:
The snake woman might be a liiittle exhausted with the stance, but she isn't just strong because of her mutant abilities. She doesn't navigate most areas with any sort of vehicle, so her strength is robust and built on a foundation of endurance already. Just not... martial arts endurance. Sibil takes up the next stance when indicated, quietly enough this time. She has to think about the position of her tail with each one, to make sure that she's balanced appropriately. She just goes by Zhao's visual cue, but her tail is thicker so it takes some adjustment.

Zhao Lin has posed:
"Good," Zhao Lin tells Sibil, before he starts to take her through a range of motions. He goes slowly, one at a time, for her to follow at first, but then he repeats it with her, faster this time, until she's doing them at normal speed. Kung-fu requires much repetition of movements, until they become muscle memory. Once Sibil seems to have gotten the pattern of motions down, Zhao Lin stops repeating them and walks around her, watching her, occasionoally correcting her when her feet are positioned wrong, or her hand isn't in the right place.

Sibilance has posed:
Going through the motions, Sibil seems to go from awkward to focused and almost serene. Her eyes half-lid and she tries to get into the flow of things. She focuses only on her instructions and on the mental image he has of what she should do, and accepts correction as she goes. She politely ignores a distant jeer, because she is enjoying this moment with her Master, and friend. She doesn't know it yet but this will help her later in life... it will help her in the dangerous world that Earth has become.