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Post by Doji Reiha on Jan 23, 2018 17:31:30 GMT -5
The Kakita fell into place beside her where he moved through all twelve kata, performing them one by one alongside the Doji. He was certainly a very advanced student but at no point did he ever attempt to impress that upon her in a haughty, arrogant manner. No, he moved with grace and speed and once they finished, he bowed to her and kept that small smile on his lips. He had been watching her the whole time with the eyes of a sensei, firmly understanding what was right and wrong. However, he saw she performed well and looked satisfied because of it. "You are good for having only picked up the art. I am suitably impressed," he complimented Reiha. "You also take to it naturally. It suits you well."He then walked around her to face her and asked, "Are you prepared to practice paired kata? They are much more valuable as striking at a real person creates a different mindset and sharpens new skills. Timing. Distance. Measure. Have you performed any before, or just the twelve single kata?""Oh, a few times with my sensei! But he was on a very different level than me, I'm afraid. I never practices with someone who wasn't, well, a master..." Reiha looks a bit worried. "Is that a problem? I do understand the basics! Which kata do you wish to perform? You may counter first!" It was then that he noticed the two students practicing, and quirked his head. They were training, but not in any manner he had ever seen. He bowed to them with a flourish of his arms. "Ah, hello! Pardon me for intruding, but can I ask what style of fighting that is?" The Doji girl is a bit startled by the interruption, but quickly bows. "We are practicing iaido..." Oh, gaijin, no mons! "... san?" Well, how else could you address him? "My name is Doji Reiha. This is Kakita Isao-sempai. Have you eaten rice today?" She bows, about as deep as to one of her fellow students. "Iaido is the art of striking starting from the sword in a sheathed position." |
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Post by Rodrigo Azerola on Jan 23, 2018 17:44:14 GMT -5
Rodrigo stood back up and treated them with a roguish grin.
"Apologies, I forgot to give you my name. I am Rodrigo Azerola of Merenae. And I did not have rice, but I did have eggs."
He put his hands on his hips, thinking.
"Striking from a sheathed position? Interesting. What purpose does that serve, surprise?"
He sounded earnest.
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Post by Kakita Isao on Jan 24, 2018 2:21:29 GMT -5
"Surprise. Self defense. Rokugani legal protocol. Tradition," Isao informed the gaijin. He offered the stranger a slight indication of his head, a little wary of the gaijin but otherwise not willing to be overly rude. After all, Tarik was a good friend of him and his mother had dealings with gaijin in her duties. "Doji-san and I were about to practice a set of paired kata, developing our drawing technique against real opponents. You may watch... Roduregu-san." How bad did he bastardize the name? It had taken him a long time to get Tarik right.
He turned back to Reiha and smiled. "Actually, you may counter first. I'm here to help teach you after all. Once you feel confident in your technique, we can switch the roles."
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Post by Doji Reiha on Jan 24, 2018 4:24:12 GMT -5
Reiha gives the Rodrigo Azerola a smile, after all, she has been spending a lot of time with Tarik, her betrothed. "Yes, Azerola-san..." Much simpler to pronounce than his other name! "... The importance of iaido comes to the fore mainly in duels. A formal duel always starts with the katana in it's saya and the duelists within striking range of each other. As Kakita-sempai indicated we are about to practice paired kata. Kata are predetermined routines, but it should give you a clear view of the art." She nods to Kakita Isao and bows after they determine which katas they will be running through. She is obviously not at the Kakita's level of control, but once again, she gives a fair showing! After the proper bow at the end Reiha rises smiling. "Kakita-sempai, shall we give Azerola-san a demonstration of a duel to first blood?" She frowns and turns to the gaijin. "Of course without the blood, we are using iaito, practice swords." |
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Post by Kakita Isao on Jan 24, 2018 6:14:03 GMT -5
When they move through their paired kata together, Isao likewise shows his apparent skill with the sword. The Kakita meets her counters and she does so in kind, which ultimately serves as a warm up for both of them. He certainly felt far more confident and ready for more serious exercises. So, the offer to demonstrate a formal iaijutsu duel was received well. "I'd love to test your skill; your form is clean and appropriate for your skill level, if not better than most. I highly suspect if you continued, you'd quickly improve. Very well done, Doji-san," he praised her. With a nod he smiled and bowed to her. "Alright, let's practice, shall we? Show me what your masters have taught you and I'll show you what they taught me." With a broad smile he assumed a stand; he held his saya with his left hand at the mouth and held his right hand above the tsuka of the sword, prepared to draw. All the while his eyes focused on her as he centered himself and began to appraise the strengths and weaknesses in her form. |
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Post by Doji Reiha on Jan 24, 2018 7:41:27 GMT -5
Reiha nods enthusiastically. "I promise I shall do my best not to shame my sensei and you." After yet another formal bow she assumes her stance. She is a bit eager however, as even with Heaven working to make her promise come true, she was almost too late to notice the Kakita's tensing and assume true mindfulness. Her overeagerness is like a ripple marring the pond of her mind, but still, she promised to do her best, and she is bound by that! There's a flash as steel leaves it's saya... (Just matched your assessment, so no one gets +1k1 on the focus. *shakes fist at orokos for crappy rolls*) |
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Post by Kakita Isao on Jan 24, 2018 8:41:58 GMT -5
Reiha found her opponent to be both very skilled and incredibly focused, that swell of eagerness and excitement contained with the moment. The Crane slowly turned his palm up as if he were presenting a gift to the Doji. While he had trouble properly reading her for some alien reason he couldn't understood, he found the moment within the void between them. She drew her sword but he was already moving. The iaito seemed to move out of it's saya on its own accord. In the moment between heartbeats, like the breath of the wind itself, Isao stood aside of her with the cold, unsharpened steel held to her.It was clearly evident he had pulled his blow as not to harm her at all, with a small flourish of style and the obviousness that he had struck her all the same. OOC: The roll says VP, but I forgot to move it. I decided not to after the fact. |
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Post by Shinjo Takezou on Jan 24, 2018 9:00:22 GMT -5
Takezou enters the dojo, as the duel us underway, ready for some early morning training. Noticing the others he decides to watch the display. He sets his swords to his side as he takes a seat interested in watching the two Crane show their abilities.
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Post by Rodrigo Azerola on Jan 24, 2018 9:40:07 GMT -5
Rodrigo stood and watched the display as well, interested to see how it was done. When he saw Takezou walk in, he walked over and stood next to him, his attention still on the fight.
"Pretty interesting to see them work, don't you think?"
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Post by Shinjo Takezou on Jan 24, 2018 10:42:18 GMT -5
Takezou nods to Rodrigo. "It most certainly is. The Crane sure know how to make an art of it." He give a bow. "I am Shinjo Takezou."
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