Description: After meeting Alma at Justice High, Mizuki runs into Frei during a class at the YFCC and they end up discussing everyone's favorite Psycho Powered model.
It's been a scant few days since Alma and Frei had their rematch in this very spot, something that flickers through the mind of YFCC regulars doing workouts or sparring at the corners of the downstairs workout room. After all, a fight between people like those two individuals is less 'fight' and more 'soap opera'. Words were exchanged, blows were exchanged, and in the end some sort of understanding was reached.
It's because of that fight that newly-indoctrinated Volunteer Frei is currently on a large mat surrounded by a half-circle of Southtown youths ranging from late middle school to Taiyo seniors. An observer who has no idea what's going on may wonder why everyone is moving in slow circles, lazy dips of the arm, slow steps and resteps, as if everyone is moving in molasses. It's tai chi, Frei's (technical) martial specialty, and he's teaching it to a mixed crowd of students who... well. Some appear to be very relaxed and enjoying it. Others are wondering when they're going to learn to do Chun-li's kicks.
His normal jeans and jacket are eschewed; the red-haired fighter wears canvas shorts and a white tank top, his feet bare on the dark red mat. However, the russet brown long-tailed headband he favors still flutters behind him as he moves, explaining things to the students in a clear, almost amused voice. "The name of the posture is a clue, don't forget. They're just not wacky things some old monk thought up." This comment gets some laughter, as everyone shifts into a tall, proud crane stance, their movements a split second after Frei's. "Try to envision how it would look."
Mizuki's had her own dealings with Alma--none more confusing and perhaps potentially heart-wrenching as a recent encounter at Justice High. Some things were revealed there, and well... if the answer to her question is a negative Mizuki might find herself very depressed, not something she's terribly used to. The YFCC itself could also be depressing, given what happened here during its christening, but Mizuki's chosen to try and put that past her.
And it -is- nice to see the place being used and active in its intended purposes. Mizuki is standing just off the edge of the class 'area', doing little more than watching the class. Frei seems to have that natural teacher's ability, witty and yet instructive; as he moves through the tai chi exercises, Mizuki finds herself following along, unwittingly, although not to the full extent that the students are.
But, she also doesn't seem to be all there... perhaps the last time she saw Alma was affecting her more than she'd let on. Originally, she'd asked as a joke--but now she's not so sure it would be funny to be turned down...
The monk is oblivious to his 'extra student', standing as she is out of his field of vision. Of course, the class is free, so it's not as if she's bilking the YFCC out of anything. Frei doesn't say much else, moving as he does through the last of the forms; moving from Crane outward, the familiar hand push movements mostly associated with the variant of tai chi used for exercise move left, then right, a pivoting step, and then a push to the right. Frei holds the pose, hands out, crosses his arms across his chest, and then brings his palms together and bows. The students, not entirely sure WHEN the kata is going to end, scramble to bow, only to find the monk grinning at them as they straighten.
Pressing his palms into his back, Frei stretches, pushing his hips up for a moment. "So that's the basics! I know some of you are saying, 'so how is this gonna help me kick ass?' A few more people laugh; some of the teenage boys who showed up look a little guilty as Frei says that, as well. "And I say: one thing at a time. When you're fighting there's a lot to pay attention to: your body, your opponent's body, where everything is, and it all happens in a split second. Learning how to focus comes first, and it's important. But!" And here he grins. "
"Next week, though, I promise we'll learn how to give someone a good smack in the puss. See ya!" The students, seeing the class is over, disperse to the showers or to work out on their own. Reaching down to the mat, Frei picks up a towel, dabbing at his forehead, and only then does he turn and notice Miss Kamigawa standing there. He brightens, giving her a little wave. "Hey, Mizuki... fancy seeing you here."
Mizuki seems lost for a moment--remembering, perhaps, her own 'lesson days' when she was studying at her home. Intensive studies, not only in martial arts but in the knowledges as well, excepting perhaps hard science and complex math... she's jostled a couple of times, goodnaturedly, as the students leave the area, apologies given to Mizuki who automatically smiles and nods.
"... Frei-san," she says, after a moment, blinking her eyes. "I didn't know you were teaching classes here. But it's really wonderful to see. They're really responding well to you." Gotta shake the cobwebs... Mizuki literally shakes her head, briefly and vigorously, her ponytail swishing around like a snake in the aftermath.
"Have you--" She pauses. "--have you seen Alma-kun, recently? I mean, within the last day or so, I think...." Yeah, she's not good at being subtle, is she? Not good at all. "I asked him something--actually--uh, he asked someone else first, and I--"
For a second, Frei scratches the side of his head with a single finger, looking thoroughly embarrassed. "I think they're just humoring someone they see as a goofy old man, but... I mean, *my* training was me humoring a goofy old man, so if it get results I can't complain, right?" Frei has never been good at accepting praise, for some reason. His temperament is so typically mild and relaxed, but somehow compliments just make him feel very awkward, though he usually has the presence to be SOMEWHAT gracious about it.
Mizuki's question gives him an opportunity to keep the narrative running though. "I just started, actually... well, after discussing it with Alma, in fact." He doesn't mention the rematch; scuttlebutt will certainly deliver that info to Mizuki regardless of what Frei does, and as for the topics exchanged between them during... that's between them. In fact, even thinking about it makes a faint color sweep into Frei's pale cheeks for a moment. "That was almost a week ago, though, and I haven't seen him since, sorry."
Mizuki smiles a little. "Didn't you know? The most powerful men in all of Japan are goofy old men... don't you read manga?" The joke lifts her spirits a bit; she knows it's silly but doesn't care so much.
"Teaching, huh? Someday I want to teach what I know... but I have so much to learn, still. Ah, but anyways..." She shakes her head. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see if he would answer my question. You see, he mentioned... a team, and I asked... if I could be on it." Her eyes defocus, gazing off into the distance. "He never did give me a straight answer. Said something about wanting to 'test my abilities'..."
Revealing a little bit of her more impetuous side, she stomps her foot (lightly), and frowns. "Like I didn't do that enough by saving his life...!" Probably there's a story in that, too.
Perhaps Mizuki will feel some relief when Frei blinks, then suddenly starts laughing and puts his head in his hands for a second. Or maybe... that's a frightening sort of response. He at least has the presence of mind not to laugh too long, but to someone who knows Alma... that sort of comment is extremely funny, if only for the discomfiture it's caused poor Mizuki.
"You mean Glory Hounds," Frei explains as he clears his throat, then flumps down on the mat, sitting cross-legged on the floor, rubbing a hand across the bottom of his feet as he sits Indian-style. "That sounds like Alma, alright... if you join, we'll be teammates, did you know that?" He glances up at Mizuki, having consciously put himself BELOW her physical level, hoping that the gesture will convey some of his sentiment. "But by 'test your abilities' he means he wants to fight you, of course. That's just the kind of guy he is."
There's a brief pause, before Frei's brow knits and he processes *everything* that she said. "And what do you mean, 'saving his life'?"
"That's the name I heard, yes," muses Mizuki, as she sits as well--though in the Japanese style, resting on her heels. Doesn't look too comfortable, though she seems at ease. "He invited Kai Gabriel as well--actually... he sort of invited her and she sort of asked, too... I don't know Kai-san that well but she seems like an interesting person." Most likely the Chinese definition of 'interesting'.
"If I do... I want to! But I don't know. He keeps saying things about not wanting me to 'get hurt' or 'be in danger'... doesn't he know I'm a fighter, too?" Mizuki probably hadn't even considered that she was thinking this way, before the words came out of her mouth.
"And... yes, I saved his life." Her expression sombers--she doesn't look depressed anymore, but the topic is a serious one.
"Before Jiro had that fight with that Dante person, Alma fought him... on the express train... and he lost. Dante... he..." She swallows.
"He kicked him off the train, literally. I went and found him and... kept him alive." Mizuki once again stares off into the distance. "I healed him, as much as I could.. that man's poisonous chi is so hard to deal with... it took a long time..."
Rather than looking shocked or surprised, the comment about the train just draws... a helpless chuckle from Frei, who puts his head in his hands a second time but for a much different reasons. "He's such a DOOFUS," the monk finally says, leaning an elbow on his thigh and resting his chin in his open palm, but the bemused expression he gives Mizuki might take some of the sting out of his words. "Thank you for looking after him. Alma has... well..."
There's a pause, and Frei clears his throat. He so rarely explains his feelings about Alma to others, but in this case it seems warranted. "Alma is very old-fashioned in his old way. He believes his job is to protect others. He really is a 'hero', you know? And for him it works because deep down he REALLY DOES believe it. But it makes him do things like... well, like fight that Dante guy on a moving train and almost die. That's why he needs people like you and me, see... healers to help him recover. And... philosophers to play devil's advocate." Contradiction versus harmony... that was how Frei had phrased it when they'd fought, wasn't it? One voice versus many voices.
"Anyhow. I don't think he doubts your strength. When he says he wants to test you, I think it's... about your *personality*, not your fighting skills. He knows you can fight, but that's not important to him." Frei pauses, realizing the color has again seeped into his face, and clears his throat. Damned betraying biology. "Regardless, don't stress. I'm sure if being on the team is what you really want, you can make it happen."
"... I think it's a noble cause, Frei-san." Surely, Frei might actually think the same way deep down; Mizuki can certainly understand the words frustration might bring to the surface. "And... you're welcome. I can see he means a lot to you." Perhaps more than he means to Mizuki--she hasn't yet decided what role he should play in her life...
... other than teammate and friend, of course. And certainly Alma himself has not decided in the least. "I should warn you that I'm pretty old-fashioned myself... so I believe in heroics." She smiles a little, "if I were stronger, perhaps I might've been able to help Alma before he got injured... instead of just after. But... that's one of the reasons I fight. So I can get stronger, so I -can- help protect people... when the time is right."
She isn't, for example, just going to go haring off to Thailand for no reason at all. "'Start with what you can do, then work up to what you can't,'" she says, quoting, apparently. "Something my grandfather told me when I was worried that I'd never learn."
Then, her gaze softens. "And Alma should know that I'd do anything for him or his friends. That's why I want to be on this team of his. I'm not really looking for glory," she admits, "but if I can help him in his quest, and Jiro... and you and Kai-san... then I shouldn't just stand by."
It's a noble sentiment. But for all his philosophical leanings Frei is actually a very stark realist... in fact, he'd probably get on quite famously with Mizuki's grandfather, if that proverb of his she just shared is any indicator. "Heroics are fine. Somebody needs to do them. But somebody needs to pick up the pieces too... you know? It's like flying on an airplane. They tell you to secure your mask before helping others if the cabin depressurizes, right?" He mimics putting one of the goofy-looking oxygen masks on his face with his hands, then grins at his own dorkiness. "It's because you can't help others if you can't help yourself first. It's okay to think about yourself before others now and then."
Getting up again, somewhat slowly, the monk dusts off his knees and then laces his fingers together, stretching his arms high over his head in an arch. "Your grandfather sounds like a smart guy. He gave you some good advice. I wouldn't beat myself up over could have, should have though. The past is the past, it's not going to change, and what seems like a good idea NOW might not have been a good idea THEN. Failures help us learn as much as successes do. And a whole bunch of other fortune cookie nonsense," he adds, winking one luminous jade eye, "that it's okay to mess up and you can't protect everybody 100% of the time, and what you should do is what you can do now, here, today."
Probably. Her grandfather is pretty easy to get along with though, unless you're his student. If you're his student he'll be very tough on you... but Frei probably won't have to worry about that. Mizuki nods. "You're right, of course. If I hadn't been there Alma would have died... so I did what I could. And--" She smiles, "You're right about helping myself, first... that's what I've been trying to do." She watches Frei rise, and stretch, leaning back on her hands.
"Failures... I've had plenty of those... and I'm sure I'll have more." Mizuki smiles a little more. "I hope Alma doesn't do something stupid like trying to keep me off this team of his. It would be a failure for him and I'd definitely have a lot to teach him in that case." She knows that Frei speaks truth--and so Mizuki is choosing, of her own free will, to protect those she cares about, rather than 'the world'...
"I've had my share too," Frei says in response, keeping his tone solemn. It's true enough. He reflects on his losses, a little bit, but perhaps more to the point the times when he could have been useful and wasn't there, wasn't available, or just didn't know... who better to help fight Dante's poison chi but a chi expert? And Frei was nowhere to be found until it was almost too late. That knowledge haunts him a little bit, but he's not the type to be too mired down in the past. Especially after he just gave that speech to Mizuki.
"I think it will work out. But... and you don't really want to hear this..." Frei sighs, glancing at Mizuki. He hates giving 'bad news', but it's sometimes what needs to be said. "Well. I don't think of the team as a dictatorship, so I wouldn't assume Alma gets the ONLY say. But if he doesn't invite you, don't take it too personally, you know? Oh, argh, that came out wrong..." He pinches the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes, and then opens them after a moment. "I mean, don't think that if he does that, he's not grateful to you or doesn't respect you or whatever. Nobody really knows what he's thinking at any given moment. But he's pretty definite about what he DOESN'T want."
Mizuki listens to Frei's speech and just... she nods. Solemnly. "I suppose I have to consider that possibility, yes," she replies, though clearly she doesn't want to. She's a bit surprised by the amount of stock she's put into this idea, even in the space of the bare day or so she's had to consider it. "But I also think that if he doesn't invite me, then I'll have to keep at him."
Mizuki glances at Frei, speculatively, then asks, "If I asked you if I could join the team, what would you say?" Simple question, on the surface, but likely a very complex answer forthcoming. "After all, you -have- fought me... and so I'd like to know." It could be a bitter pill, but best to swallow it from a friend.
It's a good question. And if Frei has a weakness beyond accepting compliments, it's being judgmental. He hates making distinctions between good or bad, skilled or unskilled, whatever. It's not pleasant because there's no way to describe one end of a pole without describing the other, right? And someone is ALWAYS not going to be toward one end of the pole, even comparatively.
"I don't know I can really answer," the monk says, copping out a bit. "I mean, we've fought once. You have a very special ability that's both rare and useful, and you clearly know how to defend yourself. But you do lack experience -- hell, *I* lack experience. Of course, that can always be overcome with... uh... experience." He stops, then rubs the back of his neck with his right hand. "I wouldn't have qualms about letting you in. I've seen what you can do. But that's not really what you're asking me, is it?"
"If Alma wants to fight me, then he'll want to fight me once, before he decides. So that means one fight should be enough to judge this at least." After all, most auditionary events are once-off, too. Mizuki seems to want Frei's approval--important, if she's actually going to be a teammate--and though she knows he's right, the answer still disappoints her a little, though she hides it pretty well.
"No, it's exactly what I'm asking you, Frei-san. You've already earned membership... so you have a better idea of what the 'requirements' are, more than myself... and you know Alma-kun better than I do." Shaking her head, Mizuki smiles, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "But you did give me your answer, and it's an answer I would be happy with."
Rising to her feet, she murmurs, "Maybe if I win the Junior League Championships," to herself, then turns towards Frei, bowing.
"Thank you for your time, Frei-san. You've really helped me out a lot. I need to go back to Justice and work on a paper but... I hope we meet again, soon."
That actually makes Frei laugh, a reflex he can't control, but he does wave his hands in the air in front of him. "I've known Alma and Jiro a lot longer than you have... that's really it. And the three of us complement each other mentally... even Tran, I guess, in his own way. Don't stress over it, really." He pauses, then points at his face with one finger with a goofy expression. "I'm not really very good at this sort of thing... I'm a realist, you know? It's not... yeah. I'm genuinely sorry if I've hurt your feelings, Mizuki."
Papers, though, he understands. He had a year of college. "Go go go. And come back soon. I'm hoping to get the place to let me start teaching a class in chi to some of the more promising people here... I might not be a great fighter, but when it comes to chi, I know my stuff. I'm sure you'd have a lot of good insights to offer too."
Mizuki bows again, and smiles, moving off with a spring in her step that wasn't there before. Frei is a nice person, and helpful; she's pretty confident that she'll make the team, as it were... and that is a nice, hopeful thought to end the scene on.
Log created on 23:06:01 06/08/2007 by Mizuki, and last modified on 04:25:44 06/09/2007.