Description: Someone walking a path to power comes across someone who is a little further along. The two travellers talk, and understanding is gained.
Eagle arrives from elsewhere.
It's a bright, sunny Southtown afternoon. People are sipping tea and nomming on gelato in a decidedly non-vegan manner. Zach Glen is at one of the tables sipping on a chai latte while watching people walk up and down the streets.
It's a nice day, with no real sign of trouble. However, the King of Fighters is coming up, and the wandering psychic's experience has been that insanity always follows fighting tournaments. He wonders, with some concern, whether or not he is up to the task. Whether or not he is going to be able to get not only himself but his teammates through this in more or less in one piece.
Yuri arrives from elsewhere.
On a bright, sunny Southtown afternoon, there's only one thing to do--drink some tea. It is for that purpose that Rose has arrived at the cafe 'Le Petit Chien'--to have some tea. The elegant, purple-haired woman is just at the doors, in fact, her elegantly-manicured hand on the handle of the door.
Something gives her pause--someone's here who radiates energy... a subtle thing, but one she is well-trained to recognize. It takes only a moment before she spots Zach; her eyes alight on him and he might feel that gaze from her. Then she slips inside the cafe. It's only a few minutes later that she's walking out to the sidewalk again, 'inside'--that is, sitting in their area--carrying a paper cup of hot liquid and a pair of biscotti.
Zach's green eyes peek out from under his ballcap to spot Rose a moment after she enters the cafe. He waits for Rose to emerge before raising his cup to the lady. He has a slight grin on his face. He knows who Rose is from the various fleeting appearances at the YFCC.
He doesn't say anything; she'll sit where she chooses to sit.
Indeed. She doesn't sit far--the sidewalk isn't that large, anyways. Within easy talking distance, certainly. Her attention isn't on him directly, though she does recognize him up close--while she isn't an extremely active YFCC personage, she has been there more often, lately. It might be a while, if Zach doesn't say anything; she's content to sit there, and eat her biscotti, drink her tea...
And basically look mysterious, which she is very good at doing. Every once in a while, though, she'll give a glance over at him, just to check.
Zach is silent for a moment longer as she glances at him occassionally, looking mysterious. Zach sigh as he screws up his courage and downs the rest of his drink in one go. He gently pats his palms against the table as he stands up. He leaves a modest tip on the table and makes his way over to Rose's table.
"Excuse me," he says quietly, gesturing to the seat across from her. "Is this seat taken?"
"If it is, then surely H. G. Wells knew much that we mere mortals did not," replies Rose, bemusedly. "No, the seat is not taken," she replies, more normally, sipping her tea. Ah, Earl Grey. After a moment, she fixes her gaze upon Zach, looking much more serious than she did just a moment ago.
"So, is there something I can do for you, Mr. Glen?" It hasn't escaped her notice that Zach Glen holds a lot of power. Alma had pointed out as much, when he had gone over the personnel files, with her.
But just having a lot of power doesn't mean much, if you can't direct it properly--in the world of martial arts, raw power is not as useful as skillful use of it.
And well does Zach know /that/ little fact. Doesn't stop him from trying, though. He calmly sits down and fidgets almost uncharacteristically of him. Something about Rose has /always/ made him feel a little uncomfortable, but he's never figured out why.
"I..." Zach stops short. "I've heard that you give advice from time to time. I was hoping, maybe, that I could ask you for some."
"Advice? Certainly, I could give you some advice. But without knowing what you are seeking guidance for, it could well be useless." Calmly, she sips her tea, finishing the last of it and setting the cup down. "I presume that you are not looking for helpful household hints," says the woman, her tone somewhere between serious and bemused, as she regards the young psionic.
"I'm many things, but handy with the household is not one of them."
Zach lets out a chuckle. "Nah," Zach says. "I'm full-up on cleaning tips." He pulls out an envelope. Rose doubtlessly received one; it's an invitation to the Knig of Fighters tournament. He sets it on the table and pulls his hand away from it, almost as if he expects it to do something other than be a weight in his pocket.
"I have a team already," he explains quickly. "But I'm..." Zach looks uncomfortable. As in-touch with himself as he tends to be, the next thing he says seems to cost him something. "I'm worried about this. Crazy things tend to happen at these things, and out of the four of us, I'm the only one that has any kind of experience with that kind of thing." Zach glances away. "I'm not sure that I'm up to making sure they all get through this in one piece."
Rose regards the invitation with a knowing look. She's got one, herself, of course, though she doesn't carry it with her. The King of Fighters. "So, you're worried about leading this team of yours? That -is- a problem. Doubt and insecurity will destroy you much faster than anything else. It might be best to not enter at all, if you can't handle the weight of leadership."
Her eyes fix on Zach, intent and serious. "If you do not trust in yourself, Mr. Glen, you've lost already." Abruptly, she puts her cup down, empty, and the plastic plate that held her biscotti. "That is my advice. If you cannot find your confidence, then I cannot help you."
Zach frowns as he eyes a spot on the table for a moment. "There are people counting on me," Zach finally says after a few seconds. "He's not about to say it, but I think Rust wants this tournament more than anything he's ever wanted before. Even if he won't admit it." Zach shrugs. "And he's my friend. You don't leave friends hanging because you're scared. Especially when you don't have that many to begin with."
Zach pushes away from the table. "I'm confident in myself, in my ability to get through most situations. I've just never had to really worry about someone else's safety before. I'm not sure how to do that."
Jiro was the last person Zach had that came close to being a teammate or partner, and that did not turn out too well for Kisagi in the end. That fact's stayed with Zach.
The master psychic raises an eyebrow; she merely examines Zach with a critical eye, for a long, long moment. "An admirable sentiment, Mr. Glen. But if you are going in half-hearted, then you may well be doing more harm to your friends and teammates than good. In a fight, if you're crippled by your fears, you may as well simply be a lump."
Rose takes one of her biscotti and bites the end off, chewing slowly, the dry-baked sweet needing a bit of moisture; she sips at her drink, then sets the cup down. "So then, the question is--how can you solve your fears? Can you make yourself effective -as a teammate-? If you are to help your friend, then you'll need to banish your fears... or accept them." She curves her lips into a thin, almost sardonic smile. "That isn't something I can help you with directly, I think..."
Zach smirks a bit. "So like most of the... challenges I've had to face," Zach says. Challenges would be one word to describe what he has had to face just coming to terms with his own power, and the need to keep all of that energy from hurting those around him. "It's something I'm going to have to work at on my own, right? That's familiar territory, at least."
"Though I don't know where to begin on the whole team thing. My abilities tend to lend themselves to solo efforts." Torrents and other explosive displays fo power, which Zach excels at, rarely lend themselves to teamwork scenarios.
"The answers to life's questions often do not vary as much as one might think. Persistence can see one through a great many trials... as can understanding one's own weaknesses. "However, it needn't be a challenge you face alone; if your teammates cannot help you through, then perhaps you have the wrong team..." She trails off, then settles back, her lips curving into a piper's smile. "But surely, you didn't seek out a virtual stranger to try and get some advice for the King of Fighters tournament, did you?" The last of her tea is drained from the cup, and she sets it down as she regards Zach. "I've heard about you, Zach Glen. Have you ever had true training in the use of your power?"
She can almost guarantee that the answer to the question, if it is 'yes' at all, should be followed by 'not enough'.
"Actually," Zach says with a grin, "You may recall that I was at this cafe first." He pauses for a moment. "But for the sake of disclosure, I decided to take advantage of a potential opportunity that appeared in front of me. But that isn't what you were asking."
The real answer is less surprising than that. "If by training, you mean formalized instruction, then no. I haven't had any," Zach says. "Everything that I can do with my power, I've figured out as I went. Which... has somewhat worked so far."
"Mm. I thought so," Rose says, as she nods. "I've seen some of your fights; there is a natural talent there..." But talent only goes so far. Rose half-turns, lifts her cup, wiggles it--she wants more tea. That done, she returns her attention to the YFCC janitor. "So, I suppose, the natural question to ask next is...?"
"Why not? Why have you had no formal training? Surely someone, somewhere, saw the potential and offered to train you. Such things do not go unnoticed by others, particularly in a profession largely built on the exhibition of skills in a public venue..."
"The short answer? Noone's really offered. Alma asked some questions and then looked at me funny when I answered them, and Ingrid offered a pointer or two, but outside of that?" Zach shrugs. "Not so much."
Another pause, as Rose's drink is brought out. She takes the warm cup in her hands, resting the lip of it on her chin, breathing in the scent of tea and milk. Her next words are gently delivered, but sharp nonetheless. "And you didn't -ask-?" She doesn't shake her head; she takes a sip of tea. "There are some things that simply need to be asked for, you know. As perceptive as Alma is... I don't think he would offer instruction without being prompted for it."
A raised eyebrow, as if some idea had just occurred to her. "Unless you are saying you don't -want- training. Even more mundane training... training in the pure martial arts. Much of what is learned by master martial artists can be applied to ... many things." Herein lies some true advice, then.
Zach looks a little sheepish. "Asking isn't always easy, you know. I figured that..." Zach pauses to think of how to put it. "People seem surprised when I talk about it. Like what I can do is somehow outside the norm, or something." Zach shugs again. "So asking wasn't easy." He considers for a moment. "Though I'd like to learn /some/ kind of fighting style. I just don't know what style would work for me. There's a lot of them out there, you know."
"It -is- 'outside the norm', Zach Glen. What you have the potential to do is a rare thing, indeed. However, that does not mean you need walk the path alone. You need not have specific training, mind. As I've said--much of what you can learn from a martial arts master is applicable in... many ways."
Sip.
"As for which style... that I truly cannot say, but there is no harm in trying a number of them. Rare is the person who finds exactly what is suited to them, on the first try, without some bumps along the way."
"Something to ponder, then," Zach says as he rubs his chin. He nods once, then takes a chance. "Would you be willing to teach me, Rose? Not the martial arts part, I don't think, but about the power?"
"Teach you?" she says, sounding almost amused. "Oh, I'm sure I could teach you a few things, here and there. I don't take on regular students anymore," she says, setting her cup down, "and my lessons may be somewhat difficult to understand at times..." A firm believer in the school of thought that something figured out by ones self is bound to be better-learned than something simply told, she is.
"But I'm sure I can give you something to think about, from time to time. A favor, call it. I might," she says, her eyes twinkling, "even answer a question here or there... if you ask the right ones."
Zach frowns a bit in consideration. He swallows the impulse to be snarky; Rose's response has been typical in a lot of ways. People are willing to offer tidbits and hints, but not a whole lot in the way of real instruction. However, that will not stop Zach from trying to /learn/. He wants to be able to teach, some day.
After all, he cannot be the only person to come along with more power than they know how to control at first.
"That thing you do with the ribbon," Zach says. "Where you send people's energy back at them. How do you do that?" It may not be the /right/ question, but it is from his standpoint a very practical one. Chi blasts constitute a major hole in what passes for his defenses. Countermeasures are always useful.
The fact is, Rose doesn't want to take on a regular pupil for a number of reasons. She hasn't -had- a student in ages, for one, and there is always Vega. Vega is... a specter that she doesn't want to draw the attention of... not to her, but to any young psionics that she may meet. Even having Miu on her team for KOF is a risk...
"With the... Oh, yes, with the scarf. It is a simple technique but difficult to master.... it requires not only being able to generate power but also to shape it. This is true whether whatever energy you employ..." She contemplates the young man in front of her. "In theory, any fighter can learn to do it. There are those who are skilled enough to know the basics of it without employing energy."
"I can do fairly basic shaping," Zach replies. "That's getting almost reflexive now. It usually comes out as armor, though." Zach pushes away from the table and holds up a hand. In about the time it would take for Zach to throw a punch, a gauntlet ripples into existence around the raised hand.
"I can sometimes do sword-like weapons too," he explains. "Used to be, it just looked like fire." He shrugs as the psychic gauntlet fades out.
%gRose raises one arched eyebrow. "Indeed. The potential is there, then, if you are willing to work at it." She takes a long sip of her tea, feeling the dissipation of psionic power as the gauntlet fades away. "But it requires more than instinct or reflex... before it can be reflexive, you must -train- that reflex... that shaping reflex is one you should certainly work on perfecting."
Zach scratches at his temple for a moment as he considers that. The gears are turning. "Sooo..." Zach says has he buys himself a moment to further ponder, "It's about knowing where and how and when to apply it, then? And then being able to consider all of that without any kind of warning?" Which makes sense to Zach; he tends to favor what will work over what may be possible. He has simply practiced and experimented on his own to learn the difference between the two.
"That is one way of looking at it, I suppose. Think of the process this way... first you learn to walk, and then walking becomes reflexive. But the -ability- to walk is embedded within you from the start... it is training that ability that is what your first steps are all about. The actions involved in walking are far more than you may think... learning how to balance, how to manipulate the muscles to lift your leg and move it forward... but all that beomces ingrained into reflex, eventually."
"So it is with any other skill. There is a period where the reflexive can become more than simply reflexive, but a focused reflex." She smiles a little. "But perhaps I've said too much already..."\
Zach thinks, considers, and ponders. Rose may even notice a low simmer of frustration that is starting to build underneath all of that. Perhaps surprisingly, Rose won't notice his latent energy any more than she already has. Anger and frustration were two emotions Zach learned to control quickly. Better on property values that way, and for those around him.
"I'm not sure I get it," he finally says. "In fact, I know I don't. But it's definitely something to chew on." He grins a little, a bit excited. New, or at least different applications of his abilities other than direct bludgeoning almost invariably appeal to him.
"I could teach you the secrets of reflecting... but I think it would be better for you to perfect other skills, first. As you are now, your foundations are weak--practically nonexistent. What I can teach you is best placed upon a strong foundation... I do not teach a martial art, in as much as you would recognize it as one..."
"Gotta learn to stand first, right?" Zach says eagerly, almost palpable beyond just the words. This is, in a lot of ways, something he was looking for since the first time he realized what he had within himself. Moreso after he had learned that there were others like him out there in the world.
Zach may remind Rose very much of a starving man reacting not only to the prospect of getting food now, but being able to get food after that as well. That hungry attitude is something he brings to his fights many times; every battle is a learning experience.
"So to speak, yes." She remains calm, does Rose, even looking a little amused. "But if I just show you what you want to learn, the lesson won't be properly engraved... for something like this, you are better off having the idea and then figuring it out on your own." She doesn't ask if he understands, because either he will, or he won't; if he can't understand what she means now, then teaching him the secrets of her ability is useless.
Truth be told, she probably -doesn't- need the scarf to reflect, anymore; it was a convienient and stylish crutch. But she's used to it, and there's no reason to mess with that, is there?
"Then I guess I'll just have to learn what you have to teach me then," Zach says gamely. "For all we know, I may not be suited to that even." Zach grins. It's a grin he's shown the cameras before, when he has a challenge in front of him that he is looking forward to facing.
"Either way, we won't know until I try, right?"
"You've already my first piece of advice. My first two, truly; find yourself a master to learn a martial art under, and practice your natural skills... no. Don't practice them," she corrects herself, after a moment, "-refine- them. Don't be happy with what you can do... always look forward."
Zach nods affirmatively. "I'll work on that," he says as he gets up. He glances at his watch quickly frowning. "I've got someplace I have to be, and it looks like I'm running late." He looks a little sheepish at that. "I'm going to have to book it if I want to make it in time." He's already plotting his course across Southtown. There may be some roof-running involved.
"Thank you, Rose," he says as he slides some notes to cover not only his bill and the tip, but also what Rose has had so far.
Log created on 20:24:28 12/13/2010 by Zach, and last modified on 21:52:10 01/03/2011.