2022-12-08 - Not Quite Track and Field
| Title: Not Quite Track and Field | |
|---|---|
| Summary: Track is cancelled for the day, so Setsuna suggests an alternative activity to Kyouka. Soon they get to sparring, while discussing the different philosophies they learned around fighting. | |
| Who: | |
| Where: Gymnasium and Fields (Shitamachi Low City - Juuban Public School) | |
| OOC - IC Date: 12/8/2022 - Monday, February 01, 2016 | |
.***************** Shitamachi Low City - Juuban Public School *****************.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Gymnasium and Fields +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+
Accessed through a covered, open-air walkway linked to the school, the
Juuban gymnasium is a warehouse-like structure with an impressively high
ceiling (a fact impressed on many a child during their first rope-climb).
Its golden-brown laminated hardwood floor is decades old by now, with arcane
scrawls of shoe-rubber burnt into it beyond the influence of any mop, but
it's held up well, though a few boards near the walls creak a complaint if
stepped on. A spacious equipment room contains the volleyball nets, balls of
various sizes, and other miscellanea the gym teachers use to keep Juuban in
shape.
When weather permits, the students are often taken to the athletic fields
instead. A ruddy brown, rubber-coated track rings the main field with
concentric spray-painted rings, and is used for track and field activities,
as well as forming the center ring of a three ring circus of athletics
during the sports festival. The other two rings are the soccer field and the
baseball field, the former of which is often put to use for other sports as
well. While not as expansive as a country school might enjoy, the fields are
a considerable privilege in high-rent Tokyo, one much-appreciated by
Juuban's numerous afterschool sports clubs.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
A day off! Normally the delight of any high school student, but the Track and Field club having an off day left Kyouka with the sticky problem of what to fill her afternoon with. It wasn't that she needed the exercise, really, but she liked the exercise. And she enjoyed running, but running on a track by yourself wasn't really the same as racing someone else (and it didn't have the same interest and variety that parkour did, either.) But Setsuna had made an interesting proposal she'd been all too eager to accept...
And so the afternoon found Kyouka lugging the last of several large, folded padded mats into the room, borrowed (with many promises to take care of it) from the equipment stores. She let out a sigh as she let it drop, unfolding it net to the other to form a decent-sized practice space for the two of them to use. She stood back to survey her work.
"Yeah, that'll do. Enough space to move around in, we should be able to take a fall without breaking anything, nothing's in our way..."
The perfect spot for an afternoon sparring session. Something Kyouka hadn't gotten nearly enough of lately--at least, not unpowered.
Kyouka started to stretch and limber up, already in her gym uniform. "Ahh, this was a great idea. Thanks for remembering I'd asked about this."
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Setsuna Higashi also likes the exercise, and she is aware that one of the things that friends do is show interest in one another's interests! So she thought about it, and she remembered that Kyouka wanted to spar, before...
It might be more helpful to spar as a magical girl, but Setsuna is reluctant to escalate there immediately--and admittedly eager to get in some exercise for herself that doesn't rely on Pretty Cure's strength entirely.
Setsuna, likewise in a gym uniform, is limbering up too, rolling her shoulders at the moment after a few other stretches. It's been a while for Setsuna, too.
"I'm glad you think so, Kyouka-chan." Setsuna sets her stance in readiness. "And you're welcome! It's been a while for me... But it'll be nice to use my training not to hurt, too."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka did mean sparring as magical girls--but, well, she's gotten a lot of practice at that since she and Setsuna first met, and frankly, right now, doesn't mind a little bit of non-magical sparring. Doing katas by herself every morning does get a bit boring after a while.
A few twists, a few side to side motions to stretch out her legs, and a lacing of the fingers behind her to loosen up her shoulders, and she's ready to step onto the mat.
She takes her own stance, settling into it with a practiced ease. "That is kind of one of the constants in all the martial arts I've studied. They usually place an emphasis on self-control and finding non-violent resolutions first." She reaches out a fist towards Setsuna--not a punch, but she seems to be waiting for Setsuna to reciprocate.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Setsuna can do that, too. But later!
For now, Setsuna also steps onto the map, and then listens to Kyouka. She mentions what her constants are in what she's studied...
"I see," Setsuna answers, thoughtful. It takes her a few moments to settle on her next words. "What I learned placed emphasis on self-control too. But not in the same way, I think. If you can intimidate your foe out of fighting, you've won before it began. But that's not the same as nonviolence..."
She pauses, then. Kyouka extends her fist, so Setsuna extends hers towards Kyouka's, too. Not a punch.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka mulls that over for a moment. "Yeah, not... quite the same thing, I think. It's more like... matching the other person's escalation of force. If you can descalate a situation with words, you start there. If you have to defend yourself, try to do it in a way where... how to put this. Where you're controlling things, rather than inflicting harm. Like you could grab someone's arm and put them in a hold, for instance. And if that doesn't work, then you go for inflicting damage, as a last resort."
Okay, they didn't all go that way, but that's the philosophy she prefers.
She watches Setsuna copy her movement, and then leans forward to bump her fist against Setsuna's. "This is sort of the sparring version of a handshake, at least in the places I usually do it," she says, by way of explanation, and then draws back, her guard up.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Hmmm." The idea certainly isn't alien to Setsuna; she's seen a lot of people fight with this philosophy, and indeed tries to do the same. She just hasn't heard it put out quite like this, in words, as part of learning to fight in the first place.
Fistbump!! "I see," Setsuna answers, and smiles. "All right, then."
"...You might guess that my lessons weren't so... nice," she says delicately, and then resumes her own stance. "But I like that idea. Of trying to minimize harm..."
"All right, here I go!"
Setsuna start forward quickly, her hands whirling and hard to track as she makes a feint of her right hand and then goes in with her left lower. If she hits, it'll only be a touch.
"Control was just as important... But for different reasons."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka thinks about this kind of stuff... rather a lot.
Kyouka gives a grin in response to Setsuna's smile.
"Yeah, I could guess... I've... run into a few people who probably taught stuff similar to what you learned... those weren't places I stuck with, though."
She nods, "I'm ready!"
She watches Setsuna carefully, going to block the feint, and switching too late to prevent the tap that's the real attack. She withdraws a step, nodding. "Nice feint!" She's grinning a bit. "Gonna have to keep my guard up, I see. Good."
She nods. "I see. I'm guessing control was used more for... subjugating others? If I'm off base, please, just tell me."
"My turn," she declares. She hops forward, snapping out a low kick with her forward leg, but when it withdraws, instead of drawing back to her body, she follows it up with a kick to the side and then the shoulder--if any of them land she withdraws, and each is controlled to only be a tap.
COIN FLIP: Setsuna Higashi flips a coin. It lands on heads!
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Yes, I imagine not."
Setsuna notes that the feint works, and that Kyouka seems to grin about it. "Misdirection," Setsuna says. "Take advantage of your opponent's feelings and thoughts, while not betraying your own. ...Of course, they didn't say we had to avoid giving up our feelings because we weren't supposed to have them," she admits.
She can talk about this without being too bummed out, at this point. It seems almost academic. It's not the world she's in now.
"Control... was the way of the world. Mobius-sama controlled everything; in turn, we had to maintain control so that our weaknesses couldn't be exploited."
Kyouka takes her turn--the first kick Setsuna whirls out of the way of, and she avoids the kick to the side too, but by leaning in she's tapped on the shoulder after all.
"Hmmmm," Setsuna says. "...Nice moves."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
Kyouka nods a bit as Setsuna explains about how she was taught to use misdirection and control. "I see. That sounds... like an awfully restrictive way to live. Always seeking to exploit the weaknesses in others, not letting yourself feel..."
She looks contemplative for a moment. "A guy like that can't be allowed to rule the Earth." It sounds almost like she's saying that to herself rather than Setsuna.
Kyouka immediately withdraws when she makes contact, takeing a couple of steps back to give them some space. "Thanks!" she says with a grin.
"There's a lot of different views about self-control in the martial arts on Earth. It's not about... well, it's about controlling your emotions to a certain extent, but not like... supressing them, more like... making sure you're in the moment when something dangerous is happening so you can react to things."
She nods to Setsuna. "I believe it's your turn," she says, as an invitation for the other girl's next attack.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"It is," Setsuna agrees. "The idea is that... feelings are an unnecessary distraction from duty." She shakes her head. Kyouka says what she does about a 'guy like that'--and Setsuna nods fiercely. "Yes. These 'unnecessary feelings'... are precious. And worth protecting."
They have some space, then. Kyouka explains what she's learned, and Setsuna listens, thinking on it. "...Hmm. Yes. Paying attention to what is going on, instead of what you're afraid is going on. Or on what could be going on, or will be going on. Right?"
She has experience with this idea. But as Kyouka indicates her turn is next, Setsuna pauses in place--and then bends at the knee, whirling forward with a strike and a second strike--but rather than a feint, this one is designed to push through Kyouka's probable block and take hold of her arm with the other. "This one, I learned from my senpai!" Cure White is great at holds and grabs, after all.
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
'prcious and worth protecting' Kyouka can't help but smile at that. "Yep. And emotions can also be a source of strength, too," she adds. "Looking out for others, treating people as precious is important, too."
She nods, "Yeah, exactly like that. If you panic, you can't help anyone, especially yourself."
Kyouka's expecting tricky moves now, which suits her fine, but she's also curious about just what Setsuna's got up her sleeve. She does block the first strike, as predicted, and gets her arm grabbed for her troubles. "Really now? You'll have to introduce me sometime."
She wriggles her arm a bit, testing the hold. There's a few ways to deal with this, but... "Okay, okay. You got me. I could try attacking you to get out of this, but we are just sparring, after all." She waits for Setsuna to release her and then takes a moment to work her shoulder. "Not bad, though."
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Yes," Setsuna agrees. "It's something they don't understand, back where I'm from..." But Setsuna's seen it more here. She's seen a lot of it, seen feelings be a source of great strength for many of her friends, and for herself too. It's stronger than she ever could've been before.
"That's true too," Setsuna agrees about panic. And there, as her hold works--"I'd love to," Setsuna says, "Though she taught me a lot more than just fighting, too."
She smiles, and releases Kyouka, stepping back and adopting a regular stance again. "Thanks. I used to be all about strikes... I figured if I could just batter through my opponents' defenses then I'd wear them down eventually."
"...But I've learned different approaches."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
It works that way for Kyouka too, honestly. "That's a shame..." she says, simply.
Kyouka's still working her shoulder. "Oh yeah? What else did she teach you?" She pauses a moment. "So how many 'Cures' are there, anyway? You mentioned a few other names the night we went to the ramen stand, and now this one..."
She grins and nods. "Yeah, strikes are good, but they do have their weaknesses, too. You're liable to wear yourself out trying to batter through someone else's defenses, and they can also turn them against you, too."
She contemplates her next attack. She could show off something cool and flashy, but some of it's not necessarily controllable, and thus, not safe. So instead, she takes her stance, waits for Setsuna to be ready, and she instead goes for a leg sweep, trying to take Setsuna off her balance.
It's a good thing they got these padded mats.
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Yes," Setsuna says, and the brevity of her response does little justice to the depth which with she feels it.
"Many things," Setsuna answers, "But especially in social science. She helped me study for high school entrance examinations. There are a lot of things I didn't know, despite the fact that my world's technology is more advanced than yours--or different ways of noting scientific principles. But 'government' was entirely new to me."
How many Cures? "Many!" Setsuna says. "There are three more on my team alone, and then I've known a number of other teams, and..." There's a lot!
Then she nods back. "They do. And if your anger doesn't last as long as their endurance..."
Well. Setsuna is ready--but she's expecting a strike after all that, and immediately moves forward to anticipate one--which means she loses her balance switching to a jump, and hits the mat. "Oof! ...Ahahah..."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Oh yeah, huh. Thoooose are coming up soon for the 9th years, aren't they...?" She pauses a moment. "You know, I feel for them? I know I started as a 10th year, but... I still had to put myself through a battery of tests to get admitted and to prove to my parents that I could make it in a Japanese school. Thankfully my mom is a really strict and rigorous teacher, so all; her homeschooling had me ready..."
"Well, I'm glad she helped you with that. I imagine it was... probably quite a culture shock when you first arrived, huh?" Either as an enemy or settling in as a friend.
"And there's even multiple teams, huh? That's cool. It's good there's so many running around, then." Or, well, unfortunate that there needs to be so many, but at least if she ever finds Strike Wolf's creator... there'll be others to pick up her slack.
Kyouka wasn't trying to mislead Setsuna like that--she might be misleading in a real fight where the stakes were higher, but this is just practice. She wasn't even thinking about the context, just trying to come up with something different to test her friend with. She finishes the sweep and then stands up, chuckling a little and offering a hand to Setsuna to help her up. "You okay?" Then, after a moment replying it in her mind. "Were you going for a jump just then?"
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Mm!" They sure are coming up soon. And Kyouka apparently had a pretty strict regimen too... "I can imagine that it was difficult." Imagine! She's gotten good at that. "I am glad that your mother is such a good teacher, too."
But a culture shock? "Yes, very much so. I didn't start school until much later than when I arrived, though I had school back where I come from, too. It was... different, though. You get to choose many more things at Juuban. And you can wear your uniform different ways!" It's very different.
"Mm! Many fairy worlds were imperiled," Setsuna says. "So many came for help here."
Setsuna doesn't feel too sore about it, either way. "I'm fine," she says with a little laugh, and accepts Kyouka's hand. "I was! I was so wrapped up in talking that I stopped paying close attention to what you were doing... I'm not usually this talkative."
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"No kidding. I took tests at all three sister schools, and a few others besides, since I didn't have an 'obvious' pick yet... I'm glad I settled on Juuban, though." She nods, "Yeah. ... Have I mentioned she's actually a teacher at Ohtori? She wanted me to go there too, but... I like the vibe here better."
"Yeah, being able to choose your self-expression is pretty cool... Though I'll be honest, I'm still getting used to wearing a uniform every day."
"Faries like... Akarun, right?" A moment. "So it's not just here that's got problems... Seems things are tough all over, I guess."
Kyouka helps Setsuna to her feet, grinning all the while. "And we just talked about how important it was to be in the moment, too," she says lightly. And after a moment clarifies, "I'm just making a joke." She nods, "Yeah, I kinda noticed... but I like seeing this side of you, too."
She gives Setsuna ample time to get to her feet and to get ready again, and then takes her own stance, seeming to wait for Setsuna's next advance. "Thanks for doing this with me, by the way. Haven't had a real training partner in a while and this has been really fun."
<Pose Tracker> Setsuna Higashi [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"I don't think so," Setsuna answers of Kyouka's mother. "Ohtori Academy is..." Setsuna trails off, trying to find the right way to finish her sentence. "Its curriculum seems to be very strong but I don't understand its social rituals." That seems to be the best way to put it.
"Wearing different clothes is fun," Setsuna says. "I've really come to enjoy it, instead of only uniforms. ...But even the uniforms here are more individual."
"Right!" Not just here. Things are tough all over.
"We did," Setsuna replies, and smiles. "Yes. A 'joke'! I am getting better at those."
"But you're welcome," Setsuna says. "...I'm not quite through yet, though!"
<Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.
"Ah, well, she does. She teaches dance there. And before that she was homeschooling me for... basically all my life." At Setsuna's description of Ohtori, she can't help but laugh. "Setsuna-chan, I grew up on this planet and I don't think I understand them, either. So you're not alone on that front." She undoubtedly understands more than Setsuna, but that doesn't mean she doesn't find it baffling all the same.
"It can be, yeah. I tend to just wear whatever's practical, but I've been thinking about... trying to broaden my horizons, a bit, with how I epress myself."
Kyouka grins and nods her head to Setsuna, taking up her stance. "Then by all means..."
