Another Day, Another Acquaintance (Open, Azaki)

Marcus danced backwards, away from the basic clone he had created to aid him in his training. He was going back over the basics of the style his mentor back in the Land of Wind had taught him, making sure to stay light on his feet and keeping his hands in front of him in a defensive stance. The clone mocked the patterns of the Arhat Fist, attacking Marcus with what would have been powerful strikes had the clone held any kind or corporeal form. Instead, Marcus had to pretend that every block and parry he made had some force behind it.

The clone made for an attack with its knee, prompting Marcus to step back and sweep his left hand down and then back up in a sharp and quick arc. In a real fight, this would have ended with Marcus trying to use the momentum of the knee against his foe to pull them up more than they wanted to go and out of position. The clone obliged, faking this reaction so that Marcus could then sweep its foot out from under it. That would have resulted in a real clone or person falling on their rear, a vulnerable position for one to find themselves in.

Like before, the clone obliged and landed on its rear. Marcus sighed, dismissing the creation before turning to face the practice dummy that was nearby. Like he usually did, he had placed his sleeveless white shirt on top of the numerous weaponry pouches he had near the dummy to lighten the load of his training. All he had on now were a pair of navy blue shorts that ended above his knees, his shinobi sandals resting near the rest of his belongings as well. With is sensory abilities, he hadn't detected anybody nearby to request a session with. He kept hoping that would change, as practicing on a dummy did no good for this style and a clone could only do so much. No, he needed a real person to smack him around if he wanted a chance at a real sparring session. Perhaps his luck would change soon? Who knew?




Used:


Dancing Fist C rank custom, learned (no stat boosts used, no stamina paid)

Sensing, .5 upkeep

Clone Technique, 1 cost

1.5/110 stamina used

The mine born genin took a short stop near the training ground. While in her current position, the female genin would catch a peek at the dirt plains from a tree, in which her left hand rested on. The pain lashed onto her left eye, like a child who wouldn't let go of their parents leg. The pain prompted the female genin to slow down, and take a short break. Her pale left hand laid upon the tree bark, as she paints in defeat. "The training field is only a skip away damn it! Why now?" She cursed, as the female genin puffed and huffed.

The young genin struggled to sustain herself, from the numbness located in her left eye. Due to the fact that, the young genin would push herself to ignore the pain. As the mine born hoisted her left hand off the tree, and shook the dirt off. She'd begin to press forward, so the female genin could reach her destination. After treading across the field, leading towards the training ground. The female genin raised her right brow, at the sight of another ninja practicing with his clone. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything"


The star mine Genin's voice, would clash with other sounds, for which she listened in on. The female genin rested her arms below the waist. She attempted to mask the defeated breath from her lips, as the female genin fixed her posture. She'd use her more nonchalant attitude, before further arriving at the training ground. The female genin would hope, for her weakness to not hinder the training process. "If it wasn't for that Yokai hunting prick, id be able to see better." The girl's brown, right eye would stare off into the beating sun, as she sighed. "But if it wasn't for my attempt at playing the savior, I wouldn't be in this predicament." The mine born desired, for a better circumstance. She realised how futile it was to hope for a change in scenario. She did what her heart desired, which led the female genin sacrificing an eye.




After dipping her toes into the pass, the mine born soon brought herself back onto the surface. She caught herself dwindling upon the mistakes made in the past. The mine born face,  turned away from her regrets, like smelling a dirty sock. She swung her head back to where the male positioned himself. As the female genin, brushed the soles against the soil. She began to enter inside the stranger's training session. "What sort of technique was that?" The female genins brown round eyes gazed, at the strangers built physique, as she awaits a response from him.

Marcus detected a signature approaching his location around the time his clone started the little exchange they had. The Kumo genin would turn to face the direction of the newcomer who had gotten into the little clearing Marcus always somehow managed to find. It was a young woman who couldn't have been more than fourteen or fifteen, barely out of range of what he would call a "girl" rather than a woman. The eyepatch she wore over her left eye drew his attention briefly before he examined the rest of her figure. She had asked him what technique it was that he had just performed, referring to the style of taijutsu he had been using.

He shifted his attention to where the clone had dispersed on the ground, hands moving to the pockets on his shorts. "That wasn't really a technique, just a few basic maneuvers from one of the martial arts I know. Nothing too fancy, just a warm up for my actual training I planned today," he replied somewhat casually with a hint of arrogance to his words. He had noticed her eye his figure so he couldn't help but be a little cocky. Regardless of his occupation or his personality, he was still a young and relatively inexperienced man who didn't have complete control over all of his thoughts and actions.

That wasn't to say he was some kind of rabid animal when it came to women, but drawing the attention of a few of them wasn't something he would consider a bad thing. Marcus turned his attention back to the kunoichi, analyzing her chakra signature. It felt slightly more warm to him than the normal signatures he read throughout the day, though he wasn't sure exactly why that was.

"If you want, I could show you a few things." He stopped and grinned here, pulling his hands out of his pockets and resting them on his hips. "Or we could show each other a few things, have a little fun." It occurred to him after he said that that those words could be interpreted in... a bad light. Hopefully this kunoichi would take it as it was meant to be taken, an invitation for a lesson or a spar, rather than the other connotation it held. "Name's Fujio Marcus. A pleasure," he finished with a slight bow of the head.



Using:


Sensing, .5 upkeep


2/110 stamina used

The female genin took the time, and leisure to appear ready. She didn't allow some childhood injury to halt her pursuit, for power. As the female genin's round brown eyes, gazed into the stranger's direction. She would initially determine, in which the stranger held enough gimmicks up his sleeves to appear as a top-notch genin. The kumo nin, would feed off of the stranger's prideful nature, as a grin formed across her face. "You got some fancy martial arts moves, but I'm more of a sword girl." She declared as the female genin used her finger to brush underneath the nose. "Though, I've never personally held a weapon before. If you count a broken-off tree branch as one."

She snickered, never raised a real sword before. The female genin began to imagine herself, as a wandering swordsman: chopping bandits heads off, while having weat picked from the fields hanging from her mouth. The female genins hungers, would allow the pain in her head to subside. Although she aspired to become a swordsman one day, the female genin lacked the methods to start. As such, she desired to reach the level, where the female genin could see herself as freighting as the seven swordsmen. In the meantime, it would best to take her approach with caution.

The female genin marked the stranger, as a gentle soul. But someone who would take his abilities for granted. As a fellow genin with an exploitable weakness, she would hope to attempt and conquer them. The training field began as a start towards improving herself. The female genin chose to write her mistakes, so she can rebuild the brittle pride as a shinobi. "Don't let this eyepatch bother you, it's just a cosmetic. In case you're wondering" She lied, in order for the male genin to take her serious. Despite not being the type to ever care, Azaki doesn't want the blame placed onto her. The female genin wished for him to release this might, as if he were at the chunin exams. If not then, appearing on his back by a one-eyed genin, wouldn't feel good on his track record. "If you got any more moves to show off, then lay it on me"

The young genin explained that she liked to think of herself as a kenjutsu user, but admitted with the same breath that she had never held a real blade before. Marcus cocked his head at that, a little curious as to why she would consider herself a kenjutsu user if she had never used a sword before. Maybe she meant she had only ever used bokken and not an actual sword. That was possible if she had just started to learn the art of the weapon, and her reference to a tree branch could just be sarcasm. Marcus couldn't really tell if she was being serious or not, so he just had to go with what his gut told him.

She then told him that if he had any tricks to show her that she was down to clown. Marcus smiled, slightly puzzled at the way she spoke. Perhaps he was just getting old and losing touch on the modern slang. That happened to people when the got older right? Back in his day, YOLO was the hot new thing. Man, times changed fast.

"Well, I don't think starting out with what I was just doing would be a good idea. I think I could teach you a bit about the Arhat Fist though, that's a good taijutsu style for a beginner to learn," he started, demonstrating an offensive stance for her to copy. Marcus's body was squared up, right foot slightly back, hands out in front of him with his fingers unclenched so as to leave his hands as open palms. His knees were slightly bent as well. "But first," he continued, "You've got to tell me your name. It seems like everyone who wants to spar me doesn't like to do that," he said in a half grumble, remembering that Yamamoto girl.





Using:


Sensing, .5 upkeep


2.5/110 stamina used

It was about time for the kumo nin to pour in enough combat knowledge inside of her brain. Although, a bit of an early bird to think about coming across bandits. The young kumo nin decided to learn early rather than late. And someone with more experience than the young kumo nin, would gather up her interest for combat. The mine born kunoichi cocked her head back, as the twin style ponytail hair ends touched the kunoichis back. She began to take in the air around her, and released the air out of the kunoichis breath. Any signs of nervousness were gone in an instant. The kumo nin paced herself, so to appear beside him.

She felt interested enough to understand what the males arhat fist is like. The kumo nin participated in Marcus' attempt to show her how the stance is produced. She positioned herself, so in order to align with Marcus body. The mine born's brown eyes, traced over the males posture. While attempting to mimick him, the kumo nin slid her right foot a few inches back. Her turquoise colored skirt ticked the kumo nins thigh, as her right leg moved back and the left leg alone in the front. She bent her knees at a slight angle.

Both of the kumo nins hands were extended outwards, and unclenched, as the palms are exposed. Before Marcus would further demonstrate his technique, he was kind enough to request for the kumo nins name. This prompted her to raise a brow, as her face turned to meet his. "Whoever you hang out with, probably aren't trust worthy people, but the names Shinohana Azaki. Some...and i mean some, call me aki or star mine. Those are used on special occasions" The kunoichis voice held a strict tone, as she felt exclusive when it comes to people using her nicknames. "The star mine part is because of this outfit, and i was born by two mineworkers." She explained, with a proud smile.

Marcus eyed the young woman as she made her way to stand next to him while showing her the stance. She ran her eye over his form, making sure to properly place her feet. Her skirt brushed his leg as she did so, but Marcus ignored that brush of cloth. It wasn't really anything to take note of other than that she was close enough for such a slight series of movements to cause that to happen. He made sure to maintain the basic stance while she adjusted her form to try and match his own, giving her name as well as what people called her in the process. She sounded like using her nicknames wasn't exactly the best idea, her tone of voice conveying a seriousness about them he hadn't expected.

It didn't bother him too much, he just wanted to know what her name was is all. Nicknames didn't matter to him. He would use them if the other person wanted him to use them but it wasn't exactly something he went out of his way to do, so her desire to have hers not be spoken by him yet was fine with him. Once she got a good imitation of the pose down, Marcus would nod and step out of his stance to examine her form.

"Stay like that," he told her, finger and thumb coming to rest on his chin as he examined the stance. After a few moments, he would reach out and shift her hands slightly followed by him reaching down and placing his hands on her hips to straighten them out a little bit. Assuming she didn't try to slap him for the brashness, he would stand and examine her stance in the same manner as before, oblivious to how she might have felt about it all. To him it was just teaching a fellow shinobi a stance, but he hadn't had much experience with women so he had no clue how brazen he had just been.

After a few more moments, he would give a curt nod. "Alright, I think that looks pretty good. Now, I want you to mimic me again against this dummy over here." He gestured towards the practice dummy, walking over to it and taking up the basic stance of the Arhat yet again. Marcus would wait for Azaki to fall into that stance again, standing arms length away from the dummy. "What you want to try and do is pop your target rather than pushing through them for the basic strikes. Trying to get too fancy can throw off your center of gravity and leave you exposed if you don't know what you're doing."

To demonstrate, Marcus took a step forward as his forward hand thrust out in a straight palm to the dummy's chin. It was an upwards thrust meant to knock an opponent off balance and break their guard. As he had told her to do, Marcus made sure to pop the dummy and rock it before bringing his hand back and realigning himself to the basic stance. Then he would repeat the process, this time aiming for where the diaphragm of the target would be on the dummy. The palm was quick and just popped the dummy, shaking it slightly with the force behind it. Marcus was practiced at the Arhat and had its full power down. He didn't expect the same from Azaki, but maybe she was a lot stronger than she appeared to be. "Alright, now you try one," he said with a grin, stepping back to examine her strike.





Using:

Sensing, .5 upkeep

Arhat (learned, taught), 3 upkeep


6/110 stamina used

The young kunoichi became as stiff as a board, during an attempt to maintain her stillness. At first the kunoichis body was a bit unsteady, as her legs almost felt like they could give up. There wasn't a time the young kunoichi could remember, where she took the time to train her muscles. If one were to move the kunoichis petite frame, she would end up losing balance. The other kumo nin; Marcus began to assist the kunoichis posture. Despite his warm hands, the young genin couldn't help but react. The nerves in her leg jolted, as the kunoichi clenched her teeth.

"Warn me before doing that" The kunoichi spouted. The male figure could've at least given her a heads up, before going on his own. The young kunoichi would've reacted worse, but seeing as he isn't too harmless; she bestowed the male mercy. The older kumo nin double checked Azaki's stance, so to make sure she's accurately representing the stance. "I should get use to this stuff" The young kunoichi noted, as her body didn't feel fit enough to practice an assortment of body movements. However, if the young kunoichi desires to become a fierce opponent; she should learn how to become flexible.

The older kumo nin began to demonstrate the use of his stance, as he projects the attacks onto a practice dummy. As her round eyes followed his movements, like a cat to a ball of yarn. The young kunoichi tilted her head, while the arms were crossed. "Marital arts sure likes to make things complicated" She mused. The girls doubts circled through her head. The kunoichi held an uncertain feeling in her gut, which is a common occurrence. After Marcus finishes his brief demonstration, he instructs the young kunoichi to attempt the exact results.

Without any time to waste, she transitioned forward and appeared a few inches from the target. The young azaki conducts the exact form, in which Marcus showed her to mimic. Once the kunoichi managed to lower her knees, following by the left foot being pushed back to separate itself with the right. The kunoichi will then proceed to perform a simple open palm thrust directing at the dummies chin. While doing so, the right shoulder followed the moments, as she attempts to strike the chin. After the strike was perform, the kunoichis bent arm rested beside her, so she can follow up with another strike near the diaphragm.

Azaki, understandably, did not particularly care for Marcus getting so familiar with her without a single word of warning. He gave a sheepish grin, holding his hands up defensively at her angry comment about warning her first before continuing. This time, however, he had a slight blush to his cheeks as he berated himself for being such a dolt with regards to his handling of Azaki. Everything else continued as planned with him demonstrating a couple solid blows to the dummy and motioning for her to imitate him.

He examined her form as she stepped up, satisfied with it after considering her level of experience was likely zero with things like this. She managed to deliver a nice strike to the chin followed by a good one to the diaphragm. While not particularly talented from what he saw, she had some power behind the strikes and looked to be about on par with him in terms of hand speed. Unless she was holding back like that Yamamoto woman had been, that is. Marcus honestly couldn't tell from vision alone, though he got the sense she was actually trying to learn a bit about the Arhat face from the look on her face and the gleam in her eye.

"Those were pretty good for a first try," he said with a hint of praise in his voice. Marcus took up the stance next to her again, eyeing her form again as he did so to ensure she managed to retain the proper footing and posture. He pointedly made no attempts at trying to move her himself this time, preferring to keep his cheeks their natural color. "This time, we're going to try something with a bit more oomph behind it. It's another really basic attack, but if you manage to land it you could break a rib or two."

Marcus turned his attention back to the dummy, determination replacing the somewhat serious look he had had before. He inhaled slowly before exhaling at the same time he delivered his strike. This time, however, it would not be a palm strike like the two he had displayed for her earlier. No, this time it would be a solid knee that was driven into the gut of the dummy. The power behind the strike was enough to cause it to bend backwards on its thick pole before snapping forward again. Marcus had to step aside to avoid getting popped in the nose by the backlash, a grin on his face as he enjoyed the exhilarating feeling of hitting the dummy with everything he had.

Stupid smile still on his lips, he would step aside and gesture at the dummy for Azaki to mimic the technique. "It's a pretty simple one. Its name is actually Rising Knee," he said, face drawing down slightly and his words slowing at the end of the statement a bit. "The guy who invented this style wasn't very creative, that's for sure. Anyways, make sure to move your body with the knee. You want your body weight behind the strike too, otherwise you're not going to get much power out of it. Try not to fall when you do and make sure to bring yourself back to that stance." With that, Marcus would watch and see whether or not Azaki could perform the technique well or not.



Using:


Sensing, .5 upkeep

Arhat, 1 upkeep

Rising Knee D rank learned/taught, 1 cost



8.5/110 stamina used

The time spent training allowed for her body to register, and become familiar to the routine. But at the same time, the stiffness from the kunoichi's body would register itself. The result didn't deliver a pleasurable experience. it would feel like a pile of rocks restricting the rest of the flow of water. The forms current state created a clear view, as an unknown force restricted her movement. When attempting to imagine the body performing eye popping tricks, her body locked. In this stage, not even the body would allow itself to attempt at a spin kick. The young female kunoichi sought to open the paths from her body. And to do so, she would need to remain poise. The process wont come easy, since the female kunoichi hadn't train before. The experience felt rather new and refreshing, like owning a dog. Those with adept skills, such as Marcus won't experience problems. Considering the fact, for which talented shinobi are dedicated to a particular craft. As such, Azaki desired to search for the same passion, so she can put a smile on her parents face. The female kunoichi partake to level her pacing, in order to synch the flow in movement. She wants to measure up with the male fighter, which required her to experience a sense of freedom.




The nervousness weighed down her heart, like a heavy log on top of one's shoulder. Once the female kunoichi, however, spends enough time in the fields, she'll see to it for which the training is worth the effort. The practice dummy began taking shape, as her mind focused on the target. The figure would remind her of the time when the kunoichi was defenseless. As the image manifested, the kumo nin confidence grew sharper. She came to count on the male fighter, for continuous support during their training. The female kunoichi image of the bandit, from her past would take form as a practice dummy. The kunoichis imagination assists in maintaining a strong focused mind. While projecting her inner thoughts, the kunoichi would still feel the rough and bounciness from the dummy. She acquired the necessary mindset, so the kunoichi can increase the potency in attacks. For each blow delivered to the dummy, the rough fabric brushed aside her palms. Once she completed the moves that Marcus demonstrated, the kunoichi took to taking some small breathes, allowing her lungs to loosen before awaiting the next demonstration. "I feel like my body needs a lot of improvement, I feel as stiff as a board." She said, as the kunoichi noticed the restrictive force behind her body.


The young kunoichi examined Marcus' next trick, and unlike the palm strike; this one was performed through using the knee. After a brief demonstration, the kunoichi took notice, as the impact force from his knee rocked the dummy back and forth, like the waves from an ocean current. However, the force was enough to bounce the dummy up and almost delivered the blow back. As the dummy made an attempt to knock the male fighter back. "Better be careful, or an evil spirit might possess the dummy and take revenge on you" She chuckled. The female kunoichi ready herself, taking position in front of the dummy.

The two pale colored hands flatten themselves, as she began lifting them near her chin. The female kunoichi breathed in, and then flipped them over to show the other side, she then lowered the flatten hands and finished with an exhale. The dummy and the female kunoichi, were arms length away as she shuffled her feet to get closer. Once finished, the young Azaki forked her left leg off the ground, bending the knee in the process. The arms went to her sides, as the bent knee levitated and crashed itself into the poor dummies face. After performing the knee strike, the impact ricochet the dummy, in which it bounced back up to hit her in the face. While weak, the young kunoichi flinched as she hurried back and sighed with frustration. "Damn thing, I wasn't fast enough to get out of the way." She cursed, looking into the direction where Marcus stood.

After demonstrating the Rising Knee technique for her, Azaki ribbed Marcus a bit at his reaction to the dummy coming back to almost hit him. The joke was about a spirit potentially possessing the dummy to try and help it get revenge on him. The comment didn't draw a smile from Marcus but instead caused him to grimace. Spirits weren't exactly something he liked to think about. Most things in the world didn't unnerve him much, but ghosts and the weirdness that was the afterlife always managed to give him goosebumps. He hoped the village wouldn't ask him to do anything revolving around that. To be honest, Marcus wasn't entirely sure how he would react to having to face down some spirits or the like. Would he be scared? Probably.

Azaki did a few warm up strikes similar to the ones Marcus had shown her previously before doing a little calming exercise to prepare herself for the new one. He hadn't seen anybody try that in the middle of a training session like that, but to each their own. As long as she made progress, that's all he really cared about. Azaki took the stance back up again and then launched herself at the dummy with her knee driving up into it. That had appeared to be a solid blow, and indeed it was, for the dummy whipped back and smacked Azaki square in the face. With the amount of power she had put behind the attack, that couldn't have felt very good.

She made a comment about being too slow to get out of the way while glancing towards Marcus. He smiled a bit at the comment and gave a small shrug. "That's something you'll learn after smacking yourself around a bit," he said, amused. "It'd be best if you... didn't beat yourself up over it. Avoiding incoming strikes is necessary though, so try to avoid the dummy next time you try." He wondered if she would catch the pun he had made as he made his way back towards her. He placed a hand on the dummy to stop its movement, having to apply a good amount of force to do so, before stepping back into the Arhat stance.

"Alright, so the next thing I want to show you is another basic maneuver with the Arhat Fist. It relies on you being close to your opponent and is essentially just a really, really strong shoulder check. A lot of this style is dependent on being able to throw your weight behind your strikes to make them strong, so if somebody gets too close then its effectiveness if reduced. This technique helps get them away from you for some breathing space, or you can use it from a bit further away for some more oomph. I prefer the first method though, so watch carefully."

With that, Marcus returned his focus to the dummy. He rolled his shoulders, the left on popping audibly, stretching a few of his muscles before deciding to continue one. The young genin stepped close to the dummy, being no more than a couple feet from it to simulate an opponent being close and personal rather than staying at arms length. Taking a deep breath, Marcus would exhale sharply as he pushed forwards powerfully. His right shoulder drove itself into the dummy, forcing it back. Marcus hopped away as the dummy sprang back into position. His close proximity prompted him to lift his arms up defensively, blocking the strike. It was hard, but nothing he couldn't handle with his tough physique.

He turned back to Azaki, a smile on his lips. "Arlighty then, your turn! I blocked there, but to avoid a counter attack you can shift to either side. It's usually better to roll with your momentum to get out of the way and give yourself some breathing room. Let's see if you can avoid turning that eye black," he teased.




Using:


Arhat Fist, 1 upkeep

Shoulder Charge D rank, learned 1 cost

Sensing, .5 upkeep


11/110 stamina used

The green haired kunoichis movements aren't like her training partner, for he holds an extraordinary sense in Martial Arts. The more Azaki practices refining those skills in martial arts, the better it becomes to understand boundaries beyond an average genin. Surpassing the male fighter in martial arts isn't an easy mission, but to understand where his strength lies.

The green haired kunoichi must remain steadfast, if she desires to grow above her weakness. What's inside the eyepatch, was a mistake made in the past. The fault provoked the hardened kunoichi, with sufficient reasons to make up for her early blunder and capitalize on it. While possessing one eye, she disregarded the restriction stored inside, as such the young kunoichi sought greater capabilities.


The mindful doctor, who often monitors Azaki's wellbeing, reminds her to take medicine. As for this evening, the forgetful kunoichi didn't catch the thought. The pain pierced Azaki's head earlier, for which she attempted to suppress it. Blinding herself in order to become better, and ignoring those weekly reminders. Sooner or later, the young Azaki will sense the pain coming back. In the meantime, she focused on sharpening the other senses. The calmness day grew plentiful, as the pair of kumo ninjas practiced amongst each other. The male fighter began demonstrating another attack, and this time it took the form of a simple jab. As soon as Marcus, delivering a hefty blow against the dummy.

The result forced the dummy to rock, and once it wobbled back and forth, Marcus would begin to step aside and avoid the hit. "Another simple trick, huh?," the kunoichi asked before prepping for another go. After exercising her flimsy shoulders, performing several circular motions on both. The young Azaki struts, before halting her action. While face to face with the dummy, she began lifting her arm as the kunoichis fist rested close to the cheek. After raising the arm, she winds up the attack by curving it, and allowing the elbow to attack by using the forearm to turn into the dummy's face. The strike wasn't as fierce, but sufficient as the dummy rocked some. "How was that? Could've done better, but i'm ready for more"

Marcus stepped aside to once again examine Azaki's motions in learning the Arhat Fist as well as a few of its associated techniques. The one he just showed her was essentially a check with the shoulder, but it seemed he had inadvertently prevented her from seeing just exactly it was that he had done as she struck the dummy with an elbow. The blow was not what he had intended to show her and it didn't have much of the intended effect that the shoulder check would have had. He brushed his chin with his fingers in thought when she asked how she had done, debating on how exactly he wanted to approach the next parts. He hadn't ever actually taught anyone anything, so this was a new experience for him too. It made him think back to the times his own master had corrected his movements and stances. He had chided Marcus at times for his mistakes, but he rarely grew cross or impatient with the young Fujio. That was the type of attitude he wished to emulate here, as doing otherwise would be a disgrace upon the name he had taken for himself in honor of that very same master.

He stepped back to the dummy, taking the basic stance for the Arhat Fist again. This time, he flipped his stance around to southpaw to make it easier for Azaki to see what he did. Marcus would repeat the shoulder thrust, just a little slower and with less power in it so he could move her through the motions slowly. That was his issue he had decided. He hadn't been going slow and had instead chosen to do everything at full speed and strength. That could work for obvious moves like jabs and knees, but techniques like this required a bit more... finesse.

"You need to hit the dummy with your shoulder rather than your elbow, like this," he said before demonstrating the Shoulder Charge technique again though with diminished capacity on his end. "You're trying to ram into them and either break their guard or knock them off balance. Either one is a good thing for you and a bad thing for them." With that bit of information divulged he would step back and face Azaki in the Arhat Stance. With an outstretched hand he would wave his fingers at her as if to tell her "bring it".

"Try to use that against me. It's a bit hard to learn that one on a dummy I suppose. I want you to try and knock me off balance using that very technique or force me to drop my guard to get away." Marcus let a soft grin stay on his face, eager to see what Azaki could do to a real opponent instead of something that wouldn't hit back. Well, not most of the time anyways.





Using:

All of the same stuff as last post minus the cost of Shoulder Charge


12.5/110 stamina used

Before Azaki could make a move, Marcus's eyes would widen and he would glance at the sky to get an approximation of the time. Cursing under his breath, he would quickly get out of the Arhat stance and briskly walk over to his weapon pile to gather everything before leaving. "I apologize Azaki-san, but I lost track of the time before you arrived and I'm afraid I'm going to be late for an appointment. I've got to leave a couple minutes ago if I'm going to make it in time," he joked, bashing himself for his own lack of attentiveness.

He gave the girl a deep bow, one meant to signify his genuine regret for needing to leave her on such short notice. "I really am sorry! I did enjoy teaching you a few things today though, so we definitely need to meet up again to continue your lessons. I think you could do pretty well with taijutsu if you put your mind to it," he finished as he righted his posture. A grin etched onto his face and, with that upbeat farewell, Marcus would take off out of the training grounds and towards his goal.





Exit