6515/Girl Problems and New Students

Girl Problems and New Students
Date of Scene:	15 February 2019
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Dock Grayson has girl trouble and Damian makes an appearance! Both are things Richard Dragon is happy to help with.
Cast of Characters:	Dragon, Nightwing, Robin (Wayne)

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Dragon has posed:
Richard is currently in his dojo. No others are even in the building. It looks quite...serene, actually. Clearly influenced by the ways of the Japanese. But....in the middle of the training area of the beautiful dojo, is the Grandmaster himself: Richard Dragon.

the great sensei seems to clearly be meditating, his eyes closed as four bowls of incense burn at each corner of the mat he sits on. He currently wears all black, with white on the cuffs and on the collar. the traditional attire for a Chinese Master.

For now...he is unmoving. Clearly either deep in thought or perhaps gathering his chi.

On the bright side, it DOES sound like tea is being brewed.

Nightwing has posed:
    Dick... had some thinking to do. A lot of conflicting emotions. He's finding himself a bit unbalanced. He needed guidance, and while Bruce is a fantastic mentor in so many ways, Bruce's ability to empathize and connect on levels that do not include directly being a part of "the mission" can sometimes leave much to be desired. He's too sharp. Too rigid. Too aloof. In times like these, Dick needs something more human and more "zen". He needs someone who has wisdom to share, and not just combat strategies or logical solutions.

    He needs Master Dragon.

    Dick steps quietly into the dojo, careful to be quiet so as not to disturb Richard in his meditation. No. He just silently goes about slipping off his shoes, and crossing the floor on socked feet until he is just before Dragon's meditation mat. There, he quietly settles down, legs cross. He looks like an urban fashion ad made life. Perfect hair. Blue eyes. Fair skin. The leather jacket, with the vintage logo tee on underneath and designer jeans. And yet, he too, poises for meditation, mimicking Dragon's own pose, and regulating his breathing.

Dragon has posed:
Richard did not immediately Express acknowledgement or even being aware of Dick's arrival. But Richard new.

His student was troubled...His spirit disturbed.

By the time Dick had sat down, Richard spoke. "Dick Grayson. It's been some time since you've stepped in here." He opens his eyes, a smile on his face.

"Tea?" He asks, but to more demanding matters....

"What troubles you?" It was literally written on his face.

Nightwing has posed:
    "Sifu," Dick starts, though he doesn't open his eyes. He maintains his upright posture, his hands on his knees, with his feet both folded up and tucked against the inside of each. "Tea would be wonderful."

    There's no sense of hesitation coming from Dick. After all, what would be the point? If he comes for guidance, why play coy about it? If he didn't trust Dragon, then why come in the first place? And so, he speaks.

    "Same old stuff, Sifu. Women, mostly," He says, without a hint of irony or humor. Though after a few moments, a small smile does start to ghost upon his lips, forming a faint dimple on his cheek.

    "I'm seeing someone. She's pretty fantastic. Smart. Funny. Kind. A great cook. Strong. Built like an Amazon."

    A pause.

    "...and a redhead."

    He clears his throat. Everyone teases Dick for his seeming attraction to all things ginger.

    "The problem is that she may or may not have someone else, at least chasing her. She might have a thing with him. I don't know."

    The casual way that he says these things seems to indicate that it's not the real meat of the situation. It feels as though Dick could just wave this all off. There has to be more. And here, he seems a little reticent to share. But he does.

    "Then there is this other girl that I kind of... May have overstepped some bounds with the other night. She's pretty fantastic. Smart. Funny. Kind. A great cook. Strong. Built like a Victoria's Secret model."

    A pause.

    "...and a redhead."

    He sighs, before continuing. "The problem is that... I'm working with her. I'm sort of her boss right now. Her trainer. I'm supposed to be mentoring her, not making out with her."

Dragon has posed:
Oh boy. Girl trouble. It's moments like these where Richard sometimes believes he plays the role of father to Grayson. Though he did care for the young man like a son, Dick didn't exactly have wisdom to govern his actions.

Rising to his feet two pour two cups of coffee, he hands a cup to Grayson, before sitting himself.

Oh! Oolong.

Richard just chuckles. "At least you are performing my greatest lesson to you: Pass on what you have learned. But...the flower that blooms in adversity is said to be the most beautiful of all. But, my friend, Women are not to be treated as trophies. If she is chased by another while already being with you, and she fancies the idea, she has already sold away your heart. You must choose what kind of person to walk beside...Life is short. and your time has value. " Richard cannot day anything as to a master/student romance....as he's fallen guilty of that once upon a time with Shiva.

Dragon and Grayson seem to be having a deep discussion while nursing Oolong tea.

Nightwing has posed:
    It's only when Dragon passes him the cup that Grayson relinquishes his meditative pose, opening his brilliant blue eyes and offering a smile of thanks to his sifu, as he accepts the tea. Bringing it to his lips, Grayson takes a small sip before cradling the warming cup in both hands.

    "I'm not so sure she does. Fancy him, that is. I just know that he's been around and coming on to her. Her roommate informed me of the situation. She just told me that we need to talk next time we see each other," he says, releasing a sigh and lowering his face. "If she is into him, honestly, I'm not overly concerned about it. It sucks, sure, but it's not like we're attached at the hip or anything. We're still just getting to know each other."

    He shrugs his broad shoulders under the leather jacket that covers them and sets the cup to one side on the floor, so that he can unfold his legs, stretching them out before himself and leaning back to support his upper body on his hands. "As for the other one... the one I'm training... I just feel kind of skeevy for having done it. It wasn't intentional. She was actually just trying to be nice when I was telling her about the issue with the other girl and she was close and smelled good and next thing I know we're kissing."

    A beat.

    "Thankfully we both came to our senses and that's as far as it went, but still. I'm a bit worried about how it will affect my relationship with her and ability to teach her."

Dragon has posed:
Richard maintains his seated position, but does take gentle sips of his tea, nodding his head to show that he is both listening and acknowledging the words given to him. He takes a deep breath as he continues. "Roommates are mysteriously aware of everything in the other's life. I've never quite understood that." that one is more in humor than actually being serious, and it shows. "I would excuse yourself from the situation sooner than later. Matters of the heart is....a delicate thing." he speaks about the red head that may or may not be seeing someone at the same time as seeing him.

"As for your student...." Dragon takes a deep breath. "I fell prey to this a long time ago. I ttakes you by surprise how it happens. I believe that being a sensei, and a lover, at the same time, is often destined for catastrophe between that person and the one they care for. It's complicated. It's hard. In many ways, it might be best to leave that relationship at that and simply be her teacher. But...if you both wish to pursue this kind of bond...then I will support you Grayson, as a friend should. But know that I cannot help you make this decision. This is for you and what you wish for."

Nightwing has posed:
    Grayson smirks at the comment about roommates. And nods his head. "It's the one reason I've never kept one. The other night with... The student... Her roommate came home and caught us. I had to... improvise to deflect the situation. I was wearing the union suit at the time. So... thankfully, it just slides right off at the top. I kind of had to convince her roommate that we were doing more than what actually happened so that she wouldn't see that."

    He chuckles a bit at that, though he does lift one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as he shakes his head.

    "Anyway, you're right. I should definitely put some objective distance between myself and both of them. I'm not really good at the whole relationship thing, anyway. As my long line of exes can attest to..."

    Taking back up his tea, Grayson takes another drink, still leaning back on his free hand. Holding the cup just under his chin, he remarks, "Have you ever heard of a girl going by the name Yin, by the way? Sort of unrelated to the matter at hand. She's very talented. Taijiquan seems to be her forte. Very in tune with her Qi. I was thinking of taking her under my wing, too. And, possibly, bringing my trainees to you for... refinement. Damian and Carrie especially. Damian needs discipline and peace. I think you can bring that to him. Carrie just needs to learn to find her own Way."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian had sworn to Grayson that he would rue the day he made such inflammatory comments about Damian. Tonight was the night.

  Having followed Dick to the dojo, Damian had made an ingress into the dojo, and climbed the rafters, watching to see when his moment would strike.

  And of course, his name was mentioned, this was his time. How dare he make such assumptions?! Damian jumps down, dressed in the garb of a League of Assassins master, face obscured by a shozoku mask, he strikes at Dick, a flurry of punches and swift kicks.

Dragon has posed:
Richard sips his drink once again, nodding seemingly a few times as Grayson seems to (thankfully) be taking his advice. Women (especially multiple women) can really mess with a man's life. Though, Dragon of course was distinctly aware of the young ninja's presence in his rafters, he doesn't make the comment, seeing that the ninja didn't even seem to have a melee weapon other than the hard strikes of his knuckles.

"I have met with this Yin. she has a nice dojo, and remarkable manners. I promised her a spar one of these days, and I mean to fulfill my word. But, before I speak further, you may want to set your tea aside."

then he watches as Damian descends! but he doesn't interfere. He watches.

The Master analyzing clear skill being shown.

Nightwing has posed:
    Dick did not, in fact, know of the shadow in the rafters overhead. At least not until the last moment when the fluttering of the shozoku in the wind catches his attention. He had, as Sifu suggested, set his tea aside on the floor, before the nimble acrobat tucks into a backwards somersault to avoid the first descending strike. This also brings him to his feet so that he can better defend himself. He doesn't strike. He devotes all of his attention to ducking and dodging, weaving in and out of the strikes as if he were a boneless thing made of rubber and water rather than the heavy, visceral stuff of meat and blood and bone.

    "See... what.. HEYwatchit!... mean?" Grayson calls out to Dragon. "He's like a rabid chihuahu-AH!"

    A low kick to the ankle seems to catch Grayson off guard, sweeping his leg with an efficiency that would make Johnny Lawrence proud. Or at least jealous. Dick flips up into the air, cresting at about his typical chest height before descending to the floor, back first. At the last moment, he slaps the floor with both arms, helping to disperse the impace across a wider profile of his body, before rolling back on to his shoulders and then up onto on hand, and then two fingers, his legs spread in nearly the splits. A little bit of showing off, before he springs back to his feet.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian moved with the learned grace of a master. "Speak ill of me again, Grayson. What is it now? A diaper bag? A furious kitten? I am a master assassin, dammit! I will be treated with respect!"

  The leg sweep worked, but then Dick showed off more and more. Damian changes forms, northern Shaolin Kung-fu, snake form. His hands move with focused strikes, aimed at joints to not kill or maim, but to bruise those areas for later pain as he would use them everyday until they healed.

Dragon has posed:
Richard seems to just smile very softly as Grayson shows off his acrobatic and combat acumen against this mystery enemy. But then, Richard seems to frown, specifically at Damian. Rage. A great weakness, often mistaken for power. It only helps get one so far, especially in the face of a true combat master.

But, he currently says nothing, sitting cross-legged as he sips his tea rather lightly, though his eyes do narrow. He considers stopping the fight to speak with the younger of the pair, but...there is still much to see.

Nightwing has posed:
    Dick has half a mind to present The Ultimate Solution to Damian's attacks. That being placing his palm flat against the kid's forehead, thus rendering him altogether unable to strike. But, for all that he might tease and taunt and provoke Damian, at times, the truth is Dick will never, ever do a thing that would truly wound the boy's pride or confidence. He cares far, far too deply for him, and the very thought of Damian feeling any ounce of real, true emotional hurt would crush Grayson.

    So he takes the licking. He doesn't roll over and die. He still twists, flips and dodges, even going so far as to leap forward and spring off of Damian's shoulders to land behind him. It would have been the perfect time to catch Damian with a back kick on the way over, but he didn't take the opportunity. He simply lands, sustaining a retaliatory kick the back of the knee that almost buckles, making Grayson dip and almost fall.

    "Ah! Did... your dad forget to burp you? Is that why you're so cranky tonight?" Grayson quips, as he cartwheels away, into a handspring, and into a backflip, followed by an aerial backflip with a full twist. When he lands, several feet away, he moans like an old woman, calling out, "Damie, please! I'm afraid! Why you do this to me, Damie?"

    Of course, Excorcist references are probably lost on the kid.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian definitely had brotherly feelings for Dick, maybe even the others at times. Soon, he just tires out, no retaliation makes it a dull fight for Damian.

  The ninja removes his mask, and the spitting image of Damian Wayne is seen, with his bright green eyes on full display. "So you have nothing else to say for yourself?" He asks Grayson defiantly.

Dragon has posed:
Richard eventually stands up now, his hands clasped behind his back. "I'm glad you two seemed to have at least settled your differences for the time being, in terms when physical exchanges are concerned."

he approaches Dick. "Thank you for showing restraint. Lack of encouragement is a very quick way for a battle to end." he looks to Damian. "As you, young one, have already displayed rather well. I take it you are Damian? Dick speaks highly of your skill." way to buy Grayson some cool points, Dragon.

"My name is Richard Dragon. Welcome to my dojo. Tea?" he gestures to the tea pot.

Nightwing has posed:
    "For myself? Not a peep," Grayson says, giving a lopsided grin towards the fierce green eyed boy, meeting his gaze level and even. "You, though? You're so frickin' adorable! Look at you in your little ninja assassin outfit!"

    Rolling out his shoulder, which will, in fact, hurt later from a ridge hand strike that threatened to separate his clavicle, Grayson gives a nod of his head towards Dragon, and says, "But, you should pay respect to your elders when you enter their home. You should make an earnest apology for disrupting the peace and tranquility in Sifu's home."

    Dragon's praise for his restraint is met with a bowed head from Nightwing, and says, "Please forgive us, Sifu. As I said, he could use some lessons in discipline and to find some peace. He's great, and his heart is big. He's just... eager. And energetic."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "This is the garb of a League master assassin, of which I am the youngest ever. Not some child's Halloween costume to gush over." He comments to his older brother. The assassin looks to Dragon, then around the dojo. It really was quite nice. And Damian does give credit where credit was due. He looks back and bows to Dragon. "Damian, son of Bruce and Talia." He had thought of apologizing for the intrusion, but his defiance keeps him from doing so because of the goading. "Yes, the scent from the rafters was exquisite." Oolong tea was his favorite, and he sat, bowing again.

Dragon has posed:
Richard bows softly to Damian, a customary greeting after all! ". Yes...you have the likeness of your father. Spitting image, in fact. I trained him once upon a time." He turns then, pouring a cup of tea for Damian, handing him the cup before he slowly sits, cross-legged.

He looks Then to Grayson as he speaks. "Yes. He reminds me much of Bruce when he came to me. The fighting style and aggression very similar. This is not a bad thing...but it's not good either." he looks to Damian once more.

"Tell me more about yourself, Damian. We?re you raised an assassin?" he knows the garb well.

Nightwing has posed:
    Dick remains quiet, grinning in silence at Damian's antics. Instead, for now, Grayson will opt to allow Dragon and Damian to get to know one another. In fact, as they interact, Dick will quietly take up his cup of tea, before it grows too cold to enjoy, and finish it, before dipping out of sight somewhere to wash and put the cup away. And to leave the pair to get acquainted.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     "I am still here." He mentions, looking to both Dragon and Grayson, though he did indeed look exactly like Bruce at his age, if not shorter, but those green eyes, a trait that only an al Ghul has.

  Damian takes a sip, and looks quite pleased at the elixir. "Born into the League. I was born to be the successor to the Demon. The Lazarus has a law of diminishing returns, so I'm the contingency plan. to lead the League when Ra's can no longer."

  Damian continues, not every day he gets to boast about who he truly is, or at least who his mother and her family truly are.

Dragon has posed:
"I'm aware, You breathe too loudly to not notice." Richard teases softly, even after Grayson's departure, he looks upon the heir of Wayne and simply listens to him gloat.

Probably well-deserved, truth be told.

But he lets him go on and on and on until he seems to finish. "Ra's al Ghul is a clever man. Fearless and cunning. But I fear he means to use your willingness to serve to his own ends, in the end, not yours. I advise caution."

"Though I see a great talent. Both in martial skill and in wisdom and tactics. Should you wish, you may come here to train."

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian nods, looking uneased. "I left the League, and have been living with my father since." Two years ago, Damian Wayne had shown up in Gotham, and soon, was the talk of gossip. "I don't believe in the league's plan anymore. At least now."

  The offer to train though, goes heeded. "There are few places I can learn more martial arts than what I already know. So the opportunity is appreciated. I've heard of your talents before." He comments, taking another drink of the oolong.

Dragon has posed:
Richard nods only once. "A wise decision. Not many are wise enough to notice, and many less are brave enough to leave it." Richard bows his head lightly.

People still talk about him? surprising. "Then I hope to see you here, eventually hard at work. Though you will learn more than you already know. In both the battle of the mind and the battle of the body." he warns Damian of what will come to pass.

Robin (Wayne) has posed:
     Damian stands, and bows again. "Thank you." If there was anything he was better at than fighting, it was learning. Everything was a challenge to him, and he doesn't back down from challenges.

  He starts to leave, turning back, and stops himself from saying something else, this time just leaving after an amicable conclusion.