Description: An old man, a boy, and a squirrel.
In the clearing once more outside Strolheim, Oro turns a spit. A small hunk of meat rotates slowly over a fire. Oro relaxes against a large rock in the middle of the clearing; tracks suggest he pushed it there himself. He looks quite at peace, eyes shut while he waits for Shingo to arrive.
And arrive he does. A lot quicker than he has ever had, in fact. The boy emerges from the forest, smiling even though his face is not exactly in the best of conditions after the fight with Terry and Heavy D last night. It's not his usual wide smile though. Something more simple. He wiggles his nose when the smoke hits him, "That smells good. What is it?"
Oro opens his eyes to acknowledge the boy arriving. He surveys Shingo for a moment, then nods at the fire. "Squirrel. A light meal, but rather tasty 'round here." He hooks one ankle onto the other knee, bending his leg so the sole of his foot points up at his face. He inspects the thickly calloused foot briefly for a moment before asking, "How do you feel about the fight?"
Shingo nods when he finds out that squirrel is what's for dinner. Then, the question is asked. How does he feel about the fight. How, indeed. The Taiyo senior thinks for but minute before responding. "I think I did well against the boxer. Mister Bogard was more of a challenge, though. Other than, you know, not moving on to the next round I feel pretty good." He smiles. Looks like he holds nothing against the old man. Probably knows that Oro has a good explanation for everything.
Oro squints up at Shingo, his red eyes piercing as if trying to get inside the boy's mind. "Do you dislike me for leaving you to fight Terry by yourself? You were severely outmatched, when I could have easily assisted you." He turns the spit a moment more, then nods at it again. "Eat, if you wish."
"Well. I'm sure you had a good reason for that." Shingo shrugs, "But I was shocked to find out what happened after I passed out." He gets closer to the fire to take up the old man on his offer to join in the meal and sits down. Looking up and towards his 'teacher', the teen asks the question on his mind, "Master Oro, tell me. Why did you forfeit the match? I mean, I'm not holding anything against you. I just want to understand your reason." He reaches for a piece of squirrel.
Oro taps a foot on the ground, looking silently up at the sky for a long moment. "I have no interest in winning tournaments, Shingo. Let the young fools fight among each other for the chance to learn under another young fool. I only entered into this tournament because the setup amused me. I wanted to see who I would be paired with to teach."
Oro stops turning the spit for a moment to reach over, peeling off a strip of hot meat with his fingers. "You defeated the boy HeavyD so quickly, I wanted to give you a stronger opponent to fight. With the skill I was seeing, I thought you would at least be able to almost take Terry down." After letting the strip of meat cool for a little bit, he starts to chew on the end.
Shingo nods as the wizened fighter explains himself. "Makes sense. I almost got him. He's quick though." And now he explains his own motivation for entering into this tournament, "To be honest? I didn't enter cause I wanted to join Strolheim. I just wanted to prove to Kusanagi-san how strong I am with Kusanagi-ryu kobojutsu." He nibbles on his own share of squirrel meat.
Oro chews thoughtfully. "I forfeited the match because I saw no point in taking you further, Shingo." His beady eyes fix on the boy. "You've begun down the path to eventually becoming a great fighter, but I do not think that Kusanagi or I are the ones to guide you. While you've certainly got the motions down for Kusanagi-ryu..." he shrugs. "Unless you can find in yourself the key to unlocking the flames, it has taken you as far as it will go. Me, I see a different strength in you than what I use, although I've passed on what I can in what time I have. I don't think I can teach you much more that will be useful, Shingo, so my interest in this tournament has faded."
Wow. This is some deep stuff for Shingo to take in. Although Oro has told him something he has known all along. Flames are the key to truly mastering the Kusanagi style of ancient martial arts. And until he can shoot flame, he won't be able to get stronger in his adopted style. He ponders Oro's words, nodding sagely. "And you have my thanks. I don't think I would've lasted as long as I did against Mr. Bogard if it wasn't for your training."
Oro cackles suddenly. "Yes, and the fact that you were in top shape, too." He sobers quickly, though, pointing a finger at Shingo. "I have one last piece of advice for you. Take what you learned from me and build on it. I gave you a hint about feeling for chi. That's a starting point, boy. If you can take that and develop it into something more tangible on your own, you will definitely be on the right path. I might even seek you out again if you can manage that." Oro stands up abruptly, one foot pushing snow and dirt over the fire absentmindedly. "It's time to leave." He inclines his head to Shingo. "Good luck to you, kid."
Good timing too. Shingo just finished his squirrel. Pretty good too. Not that he's gonna go around bumping off squirrels or anything anytime soon. When Oro outs the fire, Yabuki stands and stretches lightly. "I will, Master. And thanks for all your help." He sends a grin and thumbs-up Oro's way before walking away. His hands interlocked behind his head and humming a song that soon becomes singing a song. One of his own. That is before he forgets the words.
Oro, for his part, pads off in the opposite direction. It may be that he'll hang around Strolheim a while longer to watch the tournament, but it's a pretty good bet nobody will see him again. It feels almost welcome to return to the back alleys of the world...
Log created by Oro, and last modified on 16:50:11 01/13/2005.