2014.04.23 - Once More the Student

The address Jocelyn receives is for one of the highest end gated communities in New York; not near the heart of the city, but rather closer to the edge. Mansions and manors take up the outskirts, while the center houses a half-dozen ten story apartment complexes. For those who wish to live away from the turmoil of the city, but within accessible distance if need be. She'd be instructed to simply land upon the massive balcony of an elaborately crafted building, as Shen Kuei owns the entire top floor penthouse.
Knowing he is the Cat, it's likely reassuring to see a few stone felines on the large balcony, as well as a couple stone benches and carefully maintained plants. A massive glass wall is uncurtained with sliding door, showing an interior with two leather couches, a massive assortment of cat paraphernalia of obviously absurd value, and much of it decorated in Asian fashion, principally Chinese. Dark, outside a light in the far back from an unseen door.
Although a black cat, each eye a different color, is sitting before the door proper, watching outside with rapt attention.
Jocelyn had a thing about gated communities and being seen on things like cameras. So any camera that attempts to pick up Jocelyn just won't do it. She'd manipulated the energy around herself to be infared, and thus unseen by cameras. As she expected to be training, she hadn't come wearing a costume or body armor or anything of that nature. Rather, she's got a gym bag carried in one hand and is wearing a grey jacket and a pair of black yoga pants.
She finds the building easily enough. Her energy sight is naturally on, and she's naturally alert, taking in her surroundings, also making note of any life energy she finds. The woman lands on the balcony as instructed, landing without any noticable sound. The cat is obvious, but while she's taking in her surroundings, she's also taking note of any human-sized life signs are around and if they're moving towards her. She's expecting one, but she's also determining if she needs to knock or if her landing has been noticed by the Cat.
Multiple lifesigns are felt within the building. It seems the top three floors only have a single occupant, while the others are split into quarters. Of them all, most certainly the Cat stands out. It might be a strange sensation. Utterly mundane, but there's an incredibly powerful life energy within him. Chi; taking the soul's power within one's own body and managing to control and externalize it. Technically, any living being could do it. Functionally, there's an incredibly small number of people able to do it, and it makes him seem like a massive sun compared to the rest in the building.
There's a lazy meow from the feline eyeballing Jocelyn, at which point the figure further within stands. In a rush, the energy mostly dissipates, although it still stands out as a large glow. He must have been meditating. Coming into view, he wears simple black flowing pants tied with a red sash, and nothing else. The simplistic black tatto on his chest stands out, well known to most in the martial or mercenary world.
The door would be slid open, before the Cat dips his head slightly, shoulders shifting mildly forward. "Welcome. I am Shen Kuei." Stepping back, a gesture inwards follows. "I've been lead to understand you wish to martially improve? Your history was impressive. until your unfortunate accident. It reminded me somewhat of myself. Had you lived and breathed the art like it was your lifeblood, you might be close to a master already."
It wasn't enough energy for it to overload Jocelyn's senses. She'd handled and witnessed say more power than that. Though for a human, Shen Kuei burned the brightest that she'd ever seen. She'd never seen someone who was otherwise human manipulate their own energy like that. The woman responds with a bow of her own. She knew the etiquette well enough for a Westerner. "Thank you, Shen Kuei. I am Jocelyn Stream," she says by way of introduction before she straightens.
Stepping inside, Jocelyn nods. "Thank you. Since my mutation, I felt it was not wise to continue in formal competition, though I have not stopped training". A smile is given. "Perhaps, though it is my past that has brought me here. Everyone must take a different path," the woman adds. "Thank you for considering me as a student. This is an impressive place you have here," the tall redhead observes.
Closer to a nod of the head, truly. The Chinese have almost entirely removed the intricate etiquette of bowing. Although Shen Kuei has been in so man places, learned so many things, and pretended to be so many people, he's closer to an amalgamation than one of true Chinese culture. "Some people walk a path. Some people are given a path. Some people find a path. To me, it is about the destination, and where you wish to go." He doesn't seem particularly shocked at Jocelyn's size in any fashion. "For someone who did not dedicate her life to it in her earlier years, you surely proved to me that you are a prodigy. I am not sure what sort of training you were given since falling off the general radar." 
A beckon, and he walks through the elaborate living area, across a persian rug and past tall paper privacy boards with wild tigers. Certainly a fanatic at the level of Catwoman.
Passing into the lit room reveals a full-size dojo. Matts on the floor, mirrors on the windows, and all the training device are completely mundane. Weights, bars, stretching equipment, everything that seems better fit to the 1800's. Not a single modern piece visible.
"I have heard you are capable of greatly increasing your sense of time perception? That would likely be valuable to use. Other than that, I request you to operate completely mundane." He positions himself in the center of the room, and does a more formal bow. Yet this one, if Jocelyn's up on her etiquette, is what a teacher offers a student.
Well, that's honestly the type of training equipment Jocelyn prefers, so Jocelyn is rather comfortable in the dojo. "I have picked up training from a number of individuals. Learning some details of different styles and incorprating them into my own," Jocelyn explains to the man as they walk through the living area.
"Sort of. It is a matter of increasing my dexterity and reflexes. If someone is moving extremely quickly, it can create the perception that I am sensing time differently when, in reality, I am simply reacting far more quickly than can be expected. I can do this if you wish, but it will significantly alter my reaction speed," she explains to Shen Kuei. It had a physical effect moreso than a perception effect.
Jocelyn removes her jacket. She's wearing a plain green tanktop at the moment, having expected a training session. The bow is returned by the redhead. She doesn't take up a stance, exactly, but she is ready for whatever happens next. She'd gotten quite good at being in a normal stance that functioned offensively and defensively. No sense in giving away your intentions to an opponent early!
"That is fine. Having more time to evaluate what is happening will be useful for learning." Shen Kuei offers, simply. "You will see your failures and why they failed before it finishes. And better see how I move, attack, and defend." Although Shen Kuei observes Jocelyn carefully, seeming satisfied. "Your center of balance is quite good." he allows, before exhaling and sliding into one himself. If Jocelyn is adept at reading opponents and what they might do next, it's likely somewhat dizzying. Seamlessly, Shen Kuei's center vanishes. It is as if he can move in any direction he wanted. Countless, limitless options with no hint to what he might do next. A potentiality strong enough that he could fight Lady Shiva, the greatest reader of motions alive, to a draw. "Let us spar, so I can gauge your abilities."
He then kicks forward, using some manner of stepping technique that seems to retain that infinite motion even while advancing. Each motion of his body is like an explosion of feints. Whirling his hands, twisting his feet, a leg lifts... before suddenly stepping down, using that momentum to whirl into a strong knifehand, coming from below and to the side.
Yet such is intended to steal focus, never following through as he abruptly whirls, true assault being a brutal heel kick towards the head on the opposite side of the knifehand, flying in at a speed a few notches above peak human, and with a condensed power measured in several hundred pounds.
Jocelyn draws in some solar energy. It isn't that she needs that type specifically, but there was so much of it all over that she could grab a bit and it was fine. She doesn't physically change, and there's no outward glow or anything like that. The woman is perceptive, and the fact that all options are open to Shen Keui becomes quite apparent to her. And so she goes on the defensive. She's very good at reading how much energy someone is putting into something, and while those movements are meant to be dizzying and act as feints, as nothing seems to have the juice behind it, she focuses simply on watching the man's head instead of each individual bodypart.
Follow the head and you'll know when he'll strike.
The knifehand had a lot of strength behind it, and the feint is enough that the woman lashes downward with her left hand, intending on grabbing Shen's wrist and pulling him close to counter with an elbow to the chest. But the hand pulls back and the true attack is upon her. She pulls her left hand up, reacting more quickly than any human could react, and gets her hand up, blocking the foot just enough by shoving upwards that it allows Jocelyn to respond by striking upwards with a pair of punches at the back of Shen Kuei's leg, intending on striking him there. She wasn't as strong as Shen Kuei was, but she was significantly stronger than the average person on the street, so if they struck, Jocelyn was hoping the punches would at least hurt a little!
Jocelyn also figured that Shen would expect her to back off when he struck at her instead of pressing the attack, but Jocelyn both wanted to show some initiative and to fight how she normally fought. And she didn't like giving ground unless she had to. That gave too much power to the opponent, and she didn't think Shen needed her giving him any additional advantages.
To Jocelyn's dismay, not even the chi within Shen Kuei is giving any indication of what he might do. While a mundane person has no control over it, and one's muscle contracting would echo forth no matter how well-trained, his body is a completely even field. Like looking at a static hologram, rather than anything else. An advantage to someone who has mastered their chi. After all, reading an opponent is amongst the strongest methods of victory, and amongst the top end, evading such has always been Shen Kuei's focus. The same techniques to avoid a master reading his chi's flow also work against Jocelyn's vision.
Instead of falling back, after the connection of the kick he pushes up with his other foot, now entirely airborne. Hefting his leg upwards just as the knuckle begins to make contact, his goal is to glide it above the first strike and then catch it within his leg in a powerful clamp, pivoting hard if successful to disrupt her center of balance while his opposite knee rushes towards her sternum, and in a brutal motion dropping his elbow towards the top of her head in tandem. If he can trap one arm and attack twice, then no amount of superhuman reaction should escape success...!
Jocelyn isn't going to stop watching for any hint of what Shen Kuei might do based on body language. Even if he isn't given any clues, there was no reason not to be aware of what he was doing. The woman attempts to pull her arm in, but Shen will manage capture Jocelyn's arm in his leg. Her center of balance is disrupted for a bit less than a second, but she's able to recover quickly. Just, perhaps, not quickly enough. She's able to tilt her head slightly, enough to avoid the elbow striking her head, but she takes a shot to the sternum and to the shoulder at roughly the same time. Shen will be able to tell that he didn't break anything, and that the woman's body has been conditioned to be able to handle blows from the strongest of people.
Even as she's taking these blows, Jocelyn is thinking. She swings her arm (the one with an attached Shen) down quickly, gripping his leg with her hand for stability. As she does so, she brings her knee up in an attempt to strike his back. If he was going to attach himself to her arm, she was intent on making him feel at least a bit of pain for it!
Shen seems capable of maneuvering himself like liquid water. Being drawn down, he twists with acrobatic grace, his own knee being impacted by Jocelyn's, in the same maneuver leveraging a powerful elbow strike towards the side of her face. And then he makes to drop down to plant his hands and twist; trying to force Jocelyn to release her hold on his foot and get thrown away, or risk being taken down into some manner of joint hold. Although he motions for a stop, regardless of the outcome; although he might have to deal with one last attack in the interim. "Hmm. You are impressively capable with such enhanced dexterity." he offers. "You are making the correct choices. It is simply a matter of the library of choices to choose from..."
The woman manages to move her head a little, so that the full force of Shen's blow doesn't strike, but Jocelyn still takes the shot in the face. That doesn't make her let go or lose forcus. However, she knows to let go of the leg when Shen makes that twist, and the girl takes a couple steps back to reorient herself as Shen calls for a stop.
"Thank you. You are more capable than I, as you are able to outmanuever me despite that enhanced dexterity, and are stronger and more dexterous than I without the augmentation. You are also extremely hard to read". Jocelyn was quite perceptive, even without energy sight, and knew a true master when she met one. She doesn't speak further, however, letting Shen take the lead on this particular discussion.
Shen Kuei does a small bow himself. "Do not underestimate yourself. Many people who devoted their lives to the martial arts have lost to me without requiring chi in this span of time. But when your perception increases, it becomes like a game of Go." The Cat then beckons Jocelyn close, before shifting into his stance once more. "Turn off your ability to see. Then, we'll spar again." After a few moments to presumably let the girl comply, he moves forward. Only, it's in slow motion. Shifting, it's as if her sight was still on. "Move at my speed." he offers. "And you will see the difference in someone who has devoted their life to the art, compared to someone who is a prodigy..." All that would come is a slow punch, angled slightly upwards. Nothing that seems all that dangerous; fist loose, arm not yet tensed. Yet he's positioned in a peculiar way, the range of motion still seeming to be very high despite visible tension of muscle.
Complying, Jocelyn nods to the man. It only takes a second for Jocelyn to alter her physical abilities, and she's back down to her normal human abilities. "Go? I don't know that game". She shrugs a little at that. Not something she was familiar with, so she didn't get the reference that Shen made.
As the punch comes at Jocelyn, there's a mental thought that comes to her, though she doesn't show it in her body language. She moves her arm to redirect the punch off to the side. The intent is to make that punch miss and then, if a strike by Shen's other fist comes, to catch his wrist and flip him to the ground. Sure, it was likely that Shen's skill would outmatch her's, but Jocelyn was still going to try and take the man down. If she didn't use all her skill, she wouldn't be giving Shen a fair assessment of her abilities.
The issue becomes apparent the moment that Jocelyn shifts to intercept the punch. The Cat maneuvers to step forward, shifting his muscles, and as her arm impacts his own, muscles flex and his fist twists. It doesn't budge, now backed by a strong technique powered by a sharp step-in. And the motion allows him to redirect upwards, turning what seemed to be a body blow into one aimed at her face. Indeed, his other fist is beginning to move forward now as well, just as lethargic...
Jocelyn had heard of manuevers similar to this. She'd just never met someone who had this level of mastery. It made a lot of her techniques much less effective. So the woman steps forward herself, planting her left foot and twisting it just a bit as she places her palm in front of the blow coming at her face. She's attempting to use a similar technique, though as she doesn't have the mastery of Chi that Shen has, it won't be nearly as effective. Still, the girl was perceptive enough to have some idea of what Shen was doing. Countering it with her usual techniques would do nothing.
As to the second strike, it isn't close enough for Jocelyn to worry about it, and as long as Shen's strikes were this slow, she could afford waiting another half second or so before attempting to deal with it.
Slowly but surely, the fist hits Jocelyn's palm. What's surprising is the power behind it; despite how slowly he moved, the impact force is enough to likely stagger her slightly. There's an exhale, shifting to the right. The blow that was slow suddenly speeds up, a knifehand towards her ribs. If she's truly reading him, it's not cheating. Within the realm of their movement, it was a legitimate increase. To complicate matters, a leg darts forward, to shift a foot between her legs and attempt to hook at a leg. Yet all of this was somewhat of a feint, effective though they may be -- the true attack is suddenly rushing forward, aiming for his shoulder to strike Jocelyn, leveraged by his rear leg and a sudden contraction of explosive force. And none of it caused the slightest flux in his body's lifeforce. No 'chi' was used... it appears to be pure technique.
Jocelyn sets her stance firmly, and the leg hook doesn't pull her off-balance, even with the punch striking her palm. She'd expected him to try and pull him off balance, and had set herself firmly enough to not get tripped up. The woman takes in a quick breath to absorb the knifehand. It hurt, but she'd live through it. An arm comes up quickly to block the man's shoulder rush, but there's too much force and it knocks her backwards, the woman landing on her back with a THUD before rolling backwards and standing back up. She shakes her head a little to clear her head.
"I see what you mean about the difference," Jocelyn comments to Shen. There hadn't been a lot she could do about those attacks. It was a little bit of an odd position for her. It had been a long time she'd trained with someone where she was clearly very, very far below them in skill. She'd been less skilled than some, of course, but the difference hadn't been as drastic. It was something she'd have to adjust to.
"Your instincts are good. And your capacity to learn. I can also sense the passion of a true fighter, the willpower of one unwilling to step back, and extensive experience." Shen Kuei stands up, relaxing his stance. "Yet imagine yourself doing one thing slightly wrong. It amounts to nothing measurable. But then imagine yourself doing twenty things wrong. Fifty. A hundred. Those slight inefficiencies add up. In this, you do very well. There can be improvement, but your core foundation is amongst the best of someone sent to me to learn."
"What you lack is techniques. You have learned how to fight, but within the realm of humans. Not within the realm of martial arts. There is a difference. You are near the peak of one who walks the path of human capability. Most will never reach where you stand, and most would be satisfied to stand there. The farther you wish to climb, the more work must be done. Until it takes hours to add a single grain of sand. ...Yet still, over time, that sand adds up. And you will find you suddenly break a limiter, and pass a threshold into a world you never knew existed..."
He motions over to a simple punching bag, about a meter high and placed atop a metal pole lodged into the ground. "Observe..." His chi melts away, allowing his kinetic force to be seen. He twists and punches it. Pretty hard. But it only wobbles slight. "Again..." This time his stance shifts, and he flows better. The kinetic energy is amplified, and the bag wobbles a moderate amount. "This is about the level you are..." A smooth, perfect motion follows. Picture perfect technique, from pressing forward with the back toe, rotating the joints, extension, all of it. The CRACK of hitting the bag echoes crisply.
"Here is my greatest strike from pure technique..." Watching it closely, it's apparent he's added a thousand things to it. A slight spring and shift from the foot. Perfectly timed muscle clenches and releases. A peculiar mastery of flexibility. A breathing technique flows through, as he strikes out with his closed fist. A peculiar rotation, flex, and then clenching extension at the last moment.
There is a heavy CLANG, the bag shakes heavily, and the floor made a slight groan of complaint. "Grain by grain... you can always improve."
Jocelyn watches the man strike the bag. If Shen observes Jocelyn watching at all and is perceptive enough, he might see her first take in the sheer number of things he's added. Then she focuses in on a few of them. Modifications that Shen has made that might be a tiny bit closer to each other. It's nothing supernatural, but rather her natural perceptiveness that lets her watch and see what the man has added to a single strike. Yes, she's taken in there are a lot, but she's also using that demonstration as a way of giving herself something to work from, even if her own modifications may or may not, one day, be the same.
The woman is quiet for a minute while the bag shakes from the force of Shen's impact against it. "I understand," the woman says. Jocelyn hadn't thought of that sort of thing too much before. Of course, she'd never had an instructor who talked about such things before, either, so that makes a bit of difference. In her head, she's running through the basics. A punch or a kick. Nothing fancy, but also the most basic moves from which other options opened up. "It is a matter of efficiency. Not the ninety-nine percent efficient, but working within that last percent or tenth of a percent. That's the separation point".
"Oh no." Shen Kuei states simply. "Your technique was about... seventy six percent efficient. That is quite remarkable. And indeed, the more time you spend shrinking that gap, the longer it takes. Only someone like me, who is near the top, can stand clearly above. But the true lesson in such is mastering your body. Every muscle. Every joint. Every breath. At a certain point, your mind... transcends. And you can feel the very flow of your body's chi, and make it your own."
Although he does laugh a little at that. "In a true fight, you would put me down without difficulty. But natural strength used to compensate for martial prowess is a dangerous shortcoming. I witnessed the video of Darkseid's battle in Metropolis, before his defeat. ...He was well-trained. Unlike Superman, who I see as little more than a petty brawler, relying on gifts and determination. It is no wonder brute force approaches work poorly on him."
A slow exhale follows. "You can boost your power. But are you raising your chi, or simply empowering your muscles? ...If you could learn to transfer your energy to boost your lifeforce, as I do mine, then that is the road for improvement. Show me your strength enhancement."
He then interlaces his fingers, two pointing up. Shifting to assess instead Jocelyn's own life energy. Naturally robust, to say the least, but...
Well, yes. In a real fight, Jocelyn could, in theory, fly up above Shen and shoot him with a deadly energy blast. But that wasn't the point. "It is mostly a boost to the muscles. I haven't been instructed in the way of manipulating chi, though I can manipulate my life energy for healing myself, or manipulate it in others to heal them. I do not know if this is the same as what you do, however. If not, I would need learn how to control my chi," the woman explains to Shen. She draws in some more solar energy, boosting her strength. There isn't really any change to her life energy.
"If, however, I am injured...". Jocelyn scratches her left palm with her right pointer fingernail. With her augmented strength and not having augmented her toughness, it's trivial for her to make a little scratch. She then manipulates her life energy, and it seems to bolster around her hand, healing the wound. Not exactly the same as what Shen does, but there is a boost in her life energy. However, it's being used for a different purpose than what Shen has used his for. To heal, rather than as a tool for combat.
"Ah." Shen offers, nodding his head at the healing. Although he does take note at the mention she can do such to others. "What you just did there. That was chi. The strength you have now... it is just simple amplification. Inflexible. It is there, or it is not. If you can change it to chi... it would become fluid and dynamic. However... such is dangerous. If you managed at this current power, you would likely rip yourself apart internally. It takes mental discipline and training." A hand gestures downwards. "Do a small step forward in boosting your strength and endurance. And then see if you can shift it, to be chi energy instead of infused muscles. ...If it works, you would suddenly feel no stronger, but burning with energy that is painful like a sun. No. Not until you learned how to release it properly. And in that... I could train you."
Jocelyn lets her augmentations drain away completely as she nods. The woman considers the words that Shen uses, and converts some of that instruction into her personal mental language for energy manipulation. Chi was effectively lifeforce energy. She'd never tried actually creating life ener...well, wait. That wasn't true. She'd actually done some pretty serious life force manipulation once, but this was on a much smaller scale.
Jocelyn reaches out with her ability to grab a small amount solar energy, bringing it into her. She then focuses on converting that amount into chi. There's a very brief flicker of chi inside the woman before it fizzles out. She body wasn't used to holding more life force than her normal amount. It would perhaps be possible, but it would require training and conditioning for her to have a chance at it.
The spark causes an 'Oh!' from Shen-Kuei. "That spark... can take five years for a mundane practitioner. You have a shortcut. Although you will lack the foundation for it, I believe you are more than adaptable enough to integrate the idea into your general routine. And... if mastered, you could also use it to boost your speed. Although likely at the expense of other strengths. Here. Go to your greatest power. Durability and strength."
Shen Kuei pushes to his feet, and would move to walk in front of Jocelyn. "It is clear; I am dwarfed in raw power. My chi is bright, but compared to what swells in your body, it is insignificant. But. Here is where this training may be valuable."
He shifts into a stance, and then twists forward, snapping into a blow as hard as he can into Channel's stomach. She wouldn't even feel it, although the force is genuine; being unable to be hurt is different than being unable to be moved, but she could likely nullify the energy without issue.
"Here is a portion of my chi..." Whirling forward, this time there's a spark of chi, and the blow is multiple times harder. Well into a ton -- enough to shatter wood like kindling, or heavily crack stone. A slow exhale follows, before he whirls.
"And here... is my hardest." There's a great flare of chi within him, suffusing his entire body. It only lasts a second, but that appears to be sufficient. Straining his body well beyond his normal limits, he lets out a loud "KIAI!!" before /slugging/ Jocelyn in the stomach. His hand shatters, forearm broken, but she likely felt it. His fist could have likely torn through steel, although it's obvious his hand would not survive. "Heh. That was beyond my body's current limits... but you can see." He does not seem bothered by the serious wound. "Chi, although not a constant, can amplify you with great efficiency. Imagine having an incredible pool of it within your body, beyond the limits of any mundane being... and then using it to strike, as I have. You could shatter a mountain. You could topple the mightiest Gods..."
Jocelyn augments her strength and durability as requested. At the first blow, Jocelyn takes it without so much as a blink of an eye. She doesn't really need to nullify the energy to avoid being moved. Strength also applies to the legs, and she'd only move from that blow if she chose to. The same goes for the second. She could tell how much damage the blow would do with her sight, and simply let it strike, again no moving.
At the hardest strike, she could tell this one would at least have an impact, and has to brace herself a bit to avoid being shoved backwards by it. The wound is noted, but she would wait to see if Shen requested healing assistance or not. He might be able to heal himself with his Chi. Jocelyn wasn't sure.
"It is a potent tool, though I will need to learn how to harness it. That will take time and training. My body is not yet conditioned to hold Chi, as your's is. And while I do have a shortcut, I also wish to learn how to channel it without the use of my abilities". Jocelyn didn't want to have to rely on her powers for her martial training. They were helpful for times when powers weren't the best choice. She wanted that option available to her at any time, regardless of power use.
"I'm afraid that unless you have some manner of hyperbolic time chamber, it would take many years to teach you how to harness your chi naturally. Even living and breathing it every day of my life, I did not gain access to it until 14. I am not sure if I am a greater prodigy than you, but ten years of 18 hour instruction is likely not possible. Although your form is good, you have done none of the conditioning and training required for chi. Indeed, your potential is still high. I could teach you simple techniques, refinements, and such. There are many remarkable fighters who cannot use chi, such as the Batman."
Shen Kuei taps on his chin, considering. "Although you are not far off. I could teach you methods of stretching, methods of breathing, and methods of meditation. Precise exercises, that will teach you to control every muscle and tendon, and master your core of balance. All of these will increase your overall capability. Combined with a few basic form exercises that utilize these concepts, you'd find yourself surpassing your limit quite fast."
A smile follows. "Whether you can master such well enough to learn chi is another matter. Being able to sense it and get the first spark is the hardest part. Feeling that might accelerate the process by years."
"Of course, it would take time," Jocelyn responds. "I will trust your judgement for my training". If it was possible, then it was possible. If not, then it wasn't. Jocelyn would take the assistance either way, of course. It was a new possibility that she'd been shown, and it was natural for Jocelyn to become interested in it. "Most fighters, of course, cannot use it. I will admit I've yet to have the pleasure of witnessing Batman fight," Jocelyn admits. Sure, there were grainy security videos, but it wasn't the same as actually seeing the man fight. Of course, Jocelyn mostly stayed out of Gotham, so that played a part in it.
The woman then falls quiet. The man had made some suggestions for things he might teach her, of course, but he was the instructor, and she was following his lead. In some ways, it was still a little odd to be the martial arts student again. It'd been awhile.
"Mmm. I challenged him to a duel. But he declined. He asked what I was after." A light laugh follows. "As if I had some ulterior motive, beyond wishing to test myself against a legend. Such a shame." A hand gestures dismissively on that topic. "For now, you must learn body control. The techniques I used upon you when we moved in slow motion followed those principals. Once you understand how they can be performed, they can be taught. We can move from there. Although I'm afraid you might not find the process very exciting, at the start."
Almost offhandedly, Shen Kuei holds out his mangled hand. Blood idly drips, now and then. "Would you mind healing this?" From his tone, a 'no' wouldn't particularly bother him. But presumably such is done, and a towel would wipe off the blood before he assumes a seat in the lotus style. "Here, you must learn to relax every muscle in your body..." A rather long, thorough explanation follows, lasting a good thirty minutes. Methods of forcing oneself even deeper, when one had believed they already had relieved all tension. "Then, you simply pick a single muscle, and flex it." Such is done on his forearm. "Then a tendon." Another flex. "This level of control is not intuitive and difficult to achieve. But you must master every muscle and tendon if you wish to learn beyond being taught simple martial styles. I could raise you another tier... but the wall would still be there. This will bear the strongest fruits in the longest time..."
Jocelyn will heal the man's hand quickly enough. It doesn't take long for her to do so. Then she, too, takes a seat. "Doesn't particularly matter if the training is exciting or not," Jocelyn says. If it was effective, that was another matter. She'd listen to the lecture, and start going through the exercises quietly, piping up when she had a question, but otherwise focused on the task at hand.
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