3215/Foxes and Focus

Foxes and Focus
Date of Scene:	16 October 2015
Location:	Azuma
Synopsis:	Yari's training begins! Kagenashi teaches her the advantages of focus!
Cast of Characters:	85, 691

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Yari Takane (691) has posed:
As it turns out, Genbu is a freezing hellhole, at least to one used to tromping around on more seasonal weather. Yari's come to the appointed training area right on time, dressed in a series of cloaks over a thick kimono. Really, with the way she's dressed, she could probably fit right in aside from the blonde hair and dark skin. Maybe even with that.

But if the freezing is getting to her scales and skin and causing her to shiver uncontrollably (it is on both counts) then her face doesn't show it. She might still be young and inexperienced, but the Garleans long ago put her through her paces. She knows discipline.

When she arrives, she snaps a sharp salute.

"Ensign Takane reporting, Miss Kagnashi, Ma'am!" She stands at attention, all business, taking refuge in her soldierly ways.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    Of all the lands of Azuma, Genbu is easily the most harsh. Most worlds have to endure the cold and death of winter for only a few months, but Genbu sits beneath it every single day. The sky shrouded by clouds even the day, the ground a thin marshland, the air frigid even beyond the snow-covered peak of the land's towering mountain. Ice floats down the rivers now and then; snowflakes drift down from the sky now and then.

    But there is still beauty there. Among the occasional marsh trees are the brilliantly pink cherry blossoms that seem to have no place in the winter. Butterflies of many colors flutter among the rough flowers that grow in the wastes. Fireflies shine their lights, sometimes clustering on trees like constellations in the sky. Even in the cold, life endures.

    Kagenashi is found sitting cross-legged on a rock beside one of the land's many streams, where only one or two trees grow from the earth overlooked by the distant, towering mountain of Genbu. Despite the weather, Kagenashi's still in her usual revealing outfit; more fitting for a summer or spring climate, but somehow not making her shiver even slightly in the chill wind. Munashi sits curled up at the ground beside her.

    The nogitsune's mask is still over her face, but she obviously notices Yari's arrival. She doesn't move, instead just greeting the fellow Confederate in her ever-calm voice. "Greetings, Yari. I am glad you made it out here. I hope your journey was not too difficult?"

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Yari discretely has kept her magitek armlet on. Why? She wants pictures to show Sanary later. This place is beautiful. Plus it'll be nice to be able to appreciate it when she's not wondering if her tail is about to fall clean off.

Yari looks to Kagenashi, for not the last time feeling out of place in the Multiverse. Here she is, all high strung and at attention, freezing, and Kagenashi is there in far less clothing than she is without a shiver to her entire body. For a moment, there's a pure look of curiousity, on just how the fox is able to do so.

"It frankly was more difficult than I at first imagined. I've had basic wilderness and harsh weather survival training, but this is my first time in such a climate. Even Doma didn't get this cold in the winter. But I somehow found my way, Ma'am." Then, she finally sees fit to sit as well, tail curling up and dropping her supply pack off. If nothing else, the young ninja has come prepared in case she /did/ get lost out here.

"Thank you for taking the time to train me. What's to be our itinerary?" She can guess on at least one part, given how darn cold it is.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    Munashi's head lifts to peer at Yari with gleaming silver eyes, watching the new arrival come in and settle down. Kagenashi, as always, doesn't move, staying right where she is even as Yari addresses her.

    "You will not reach any real height in this training in a single evening," the nogitsune remarks serenely, "but we will at least start. There is much to cover, but the most important place to begin is in focus, patience, and alertness. From that seed grows every other skill."

    Kagenashi takes a deep breath, then folds her hands in her lap. Her breath slips free from the mouth of her mask in a swirling fog. "You are cold. I assume you wonder why I am not, but if so, you are asking the wrong question. Assume that the most ideal spot to wait for your prey is the least comfortable; how do you believe you would endure remaining in that spot for hours on end?"

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Yari, at least, knows something about focus. She's lasered right in with those eyes of her on Kagenashi, hanging on the woman's every word. Nodding occasionally, her head giving a little tilt, she ponders it.

Stalking a target, remaining calm and poised, is certainly the cornerstone of any assassin's repetoire. And admittedly, Yari was lacking in patience these days. Her emotions have been a bit of a mess.

"Nnn...I suppose it would vary based on the individual. My Mother always mentioned letting go of distractions. I always needed to keep my mind active, so I always ran the mission details over in my mind to stay sharp." Adds Yari.

"But in weather like this...I admit, it'd be difficult to remain focused enough, between simply surviving long periods of waiting and watching while being distracted by the constant freezing winds and numb limbs." Really, the cold numbs the mind as well.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    "And that, Yari, is why the freezing winds and the numb limbs do not exist."

    Kagenashi's hand lifts to gesture toward Yari, a simple and elegant motion. "Some may adapt to make it impossible for cold to affect them; some may bundle up in warm clothing and keep themselves covered at all times. Indeed, the physical issues caused by the cold are worth considering, but they hardly matter if one works to keep attention on everything else."

    Her hand moves, gesturing up toward the sky as a cool breeze slips through the trees. "Focus on what you choose to, for every possible moment could tell you what you need to know, and distraction with your discomfort may only cause something else to slip by you. The mission details may be important, but what about the way the wind is blowing? What if you miss the sound of an bow's string being pulled? What if you dismiss the bark of a dog as it tries to fend off a beast that has caught your scent?"

    And back it goes, settling into her lap. "So what you will do now is sit there, in silence. Listen. Watch. Think of what every sound and scent and feeling could mean, and allow that to push aside your discomfort with the cold. And if you must...then act."

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Yari's utterly silent as she listens, blinking, and running it all over in her head. Focus on what you choose to. All this time, she's been using mental distractions to calm herself, but that too has made her weak in many ways.

Flexibility and alertness. Slowly, some small spark of comprehension dawns.

She closes her eyes, nods, and then opens them after clearing her mind. The way the wind rustles and disturbs the fabric of Kagenashi's clothing and her fox companion's fur. The sound of the wind, of falling cherry blossoms in the distance, and the sight of the elegant kitsune. Her gaze tracks the area, moving into trained motions. She surveys the land, quietly. Slowly, her shivering gets slightly less. A few more minutes of silence pass as she puts all of her focus into her surroundings, and she forgets the cold. She's still shivering, sensitive body compensating for the chill, but her mind and senses are on her surroundings entirely.

It's almost as if the lizard is in a trance. The pain of the cold, though still there, is a distant spectre rather than a constant threat to her well being.

And yet every muscle is tense, ready to pounce. She might be up to the task after all.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    Interesting...

    Kagenashi is still, too. The nogitsune's clothing is disturbed by the wind, but she hardly moves...aside from a slight inching of her hand. Minutes pass - nearly an hour, maybe. It becomes difficult to tell after a while.

    Munashi stands, then stretches. Her tail sways back and forth, and she pads around to Yari's side. The shadow fox looks up at Yari for a few moments, then slips down into a lazy curl once more-

    A moment before one of Kagenashi's katanas is slipped free from its sheath, swung striaght for Yari's neck in a single swift movement.

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Yari's eyes continue to track. It's barely perceptible, that little motion of the nogitsune. The wind continues to rustle, her cloaks barely protecting her from the cold. But the young ninja did well in ensuring she wouldn't get frostbite, even after this long in the cold. She'd been expecting something far more physical, after all, and came prepared.

There's a shadow fox that makes a move, and Yari's eyes flick.

The sudden flash of a blade would have been utterly missed, if she hadn't been so focused, so lost in the details of her surroundings. Even a momentary hesitation would have cost her that pretty throat of hers, but as Kagenashi's blade flashes, Yari's hand moves.

Metal meets metal as a kunai blocks the strike. The older ninja is likely a touch stronger than her, and so she simply deflects the blow with quite a bit of trouble. A leg kicks her up and behind the blade, an instinctual retaliation towards Kagenashi. A hard kick aimed for the shoulder before she gives a reasonable landing, pulled up into a defensive stance as she slides back a half foot from the force of the blade-strike from her newfound mentor.

Her breathing is heavy, but she's still alert, far sharper in this instant than before.

"I..." She mutters to herself. Any other time, and she would've been in trouble.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    Metal flashes, and Kagenashi shifts. A twist, enough that if that kick continued it would just miss. The nogitsune lingers for a moment, just long enough to assess the situation...and a small sound of amused satisfaction huffs from behind her mask.

    "Well done."

    Back to complete serenity, Kagenashi pulls her katana back, then slips it into the sheath at her arm until it clicks into place. She gives a steady breath, then folds her hands back into her lap. "You already show promise. You remained focused, and attentive. Your shivering stopped, as well; a quick learner, I have to admit."

    Her legs unfold, and she rises up, straightening out her clothes. "Of course, you should still work at it. Practice; soon enough, it will come naturally. Centuries have allowed me the skill I have, but surely you will develop it in time."

    Munashi slips over to coil around Kagenashi's legs as the nogitsune continues. "Every other skill develops from this. Such focus will draw your steps where they will make no noise. Your attention will keep you where the shadows are, and any wounds will fail to divert you. But, of course, a little guidance will help. What other skills do you already have?"

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
And thus Yari lands the most satisfying miss she's ever had in her life. After a week of seeing her beloved's home reduced to dust and her newfound 'freedom', it's the exact kind of thing she needed. To strive forward. To /improve/.

That kunai of the lizard's flicks back into her clothing, and then she's sitting again, attentive to Kagenashi.

"Thank you, Ma'am." She says, with pure militaristic humility. It'd do her no good to become overconfident.

"With your permission, I'd like to train here for some time. The elements aren't ones I'm used to, and it might come in handy."

Centuries. She blinks. She'd never live that long...naturally, of course. But it doesn't deter her after a moment. Kagenashi does get an odd look, however. What would it be like to outlive so many people?

She straightens a bit.

"My skills? Well, I was a soldier before I came upon my more...ah, traditional skills. Scouting, organizing troop movements, basic combat disciplines with rifles and blades."

As for her other skills?

"Spying, stealth, some basic methods of defeating locks. I've been looking for a tutor in defeating magical and more high-technology methods, but my training in the latter is...difficult to grasp, and the former I've yet to find a proper tutor. I also command a few of the traditional elements of Doman ninjutsu: lightning and water. I've yet to make much use of fire or wind, and the same with illusions." Comes the girl honestly.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    "More than the elements, little one," Kagenashi remarks, gesturing to the nearby river. "One may never know if a kappa lurks under the water's surface, ready to strike; or, perhaps, a ningyo, if you move closer to the ocean. Bands of namahage roam freely in the mountains, and you may even come across a satori, if you are unfortunate. Sit in one place in the wilderness for long enough, and danger will come to meet you. Endure here, and I am certain you will have experience for elsewhere."

    Her arms fold behind her, then, as she waits for Yari to speak. She gives a short nod in response. "Fire, lightning, illusions...these I cannot teach you, for they come naturally to my kind. Still, I believe some of our allies may be able to do so. The Confederacy has many benefits, does it not?"

    Again the nogitsune pauses, taking a moment for her thoughts to settle. "You will have to focus first. I can teach you greater precision with your blades later; precision and efficiency in your combat are necessary if you wish to be an assassin. Memorize where the most vital locations of your opponent are. Learn to adapt to armor, and learn how to gain an advantage where you have none. If your initial attempt fails, you must use that focus and attention to be quick and direct to finish what you have started."

Yari Takane (691) has posed:
Yari turns to the river, blinking. There's a slight lack of comprehension. Despite the similar trappings, she's not encountered the creatures, but she gets the jist of things. Deadly beings and creatures, and she /definitely/ needs to do more research.

"Nnn! I'll keep that in mind Ma'am!" And be sure to bring plenty of grenades.

She smiles a bit. "I...think I have contact or two in mind that can help with that."

There's a few nods. "Precision, focus, alertness. I'll learn and perservere. I think I know of a few training simulations in the Citadel that would assist in that." Fighting in uncertain odds like those would do her well. She'd never been good at coming in unprepared against opponents.

Then, once again, she settles into that same trance-like state of just listening to the world, practicing. Despite the chill, despite her worries, everything seems to fade away.

She almost, for some time, feels one with the world.