Budo Zen Dojo: Standing Strike Tournament Announced!

Retire the South School?

Yes	15.4%	[ 2 ]
No	84.6%	[ 11 ]
Total Votes:			[ 13 ]

[The Vansin]

- 责任 -

- 名誉 -

- 열정 -

Budo Zen Dojo
武道禅
The School of Enlightened Martial Arts

[x]

Our Goal:

Our goal is to create a friendly, light on plot; but distinctly IC location where those looking to roleplay fight, or looking to learn to roleplay fight can congregate in an IC location. It's our hope to make this a constructive and relaxed learning environment where people can bring their low-powered, martial focused characters to increase their skills and learn from respected and tested fighters. We've seen a gamut of places like this where people take competition to such a serious and unfriendly level that they sap all of the enjoyment from the leisure art of roleplay combat. Here we will strive to not only try our best in our respective disciplines, but we will endeavor to always remember the most important goal of all roleplay: To have fun!

The Dojo - Out Doors

The Dojo is set back from the hustle and bustle of the outside world, with nature curling its way all around the wooden building; the roof is triangle peaked and the unfinished wood gives the building the appearance of being hand built. The small rectangular windows are distinctly hand blown, with small imperfections causing the light to refract off them and making it difficult to see inside the Dojo from the outside. A small porch is often manned by junior students chatting after a hard day of training. Occasionally, the senior students join them with sake, baijiu or beer to relax and tell stories. Most student are loathe to miss such occasions.

Directly behind the Dojo is a wide, calm stream. Wooden poles wrapped in linen rope stand at the banks of the water at five foot intervals, the rope on each is badly frayed and worn; showing signs of heavy use. These devices are called Makiwara, and are simplistic, ancient training tools for strengthening the skin and bones of a striking limb.

Just on the other side of the stream is a small outhouse; requiring those who need it to wade through the knee deep water or jump the seven foot gap. Students are allowed to bathe in the stream after training, though the are discouraged from playing in the waters as a sign of respect for the sanctity of the Dojo grounds. Beyond the outhouse is a bamboo forest. There is a rumor that the spirits of the two Grand Masters guard a secret shrine deep in the forest which only reveals itself to special students. No current student has ever seen this shrine however, and most consider the whole thing a tall tale. The senior students get an odd glint in their eye when asked about it, though are careful never to give a definitive answer as to its existence.

The Dojo - In Doors

The Dojo is divided into two separate schools.

As one enters they see the beautiful finished wood floors of the South School; immaculately clean and perfectly taken care of. The floors dominate the large open room, but about thirty feet in the wood floors are carved into; large very thick pads are placed into the floor and are quite used. Showing signs of dirt and heavy use the mats are over ten inches thick, stepping on them feels like standing in sand. On the southern wall of the room is a shelf, sitting upon which is picture of a stern looking asian man with a shaved head. Students come to know this man as Grand Master Yang the Coiled Dragon, one of the two men who created the Dojo a hundred years ago.

A door on the north side of the room leads to another, equally large training area. This is called the North School. The entire floor of the North School is covered in the same finished wood as the South. On the western side of the room hang six punching bags from thick metal chains, and on the east wall of the room are mounted an army's worth of various wooden weapon replicas for training purposes. Each of the weapons feels old, infused with the spirit of a hundred former practitioners. The training weapons are not easy to wield, however, and are made of a heavy wood. On the northern wall of the room is a shelf, sitting upon which is picture of a kindly looking asian man with a whispy beard. Students come to know this man as Grand Master Yin the Pouncing Tiger, one of the two men who created the Dojo a hundred years ago.

Also on the western wall of the North School is a stairway that leads to a sliding wooden door. Beyond this door is an underground room. Though the room has no official name, students call it the "Zazen Room", as it is a room clearly made for sitting meditation. Thin mats are arranged in a perfect circle around a mystical fire which, without any apparent source, heats a small pile of flawlessly spherical stones. Around this small arrangement of earth and fire is a tiny pool of water and, to complete the balance, a mysterious, calm wind circles the room at all times, despite there being no windows or, unless the door is open, any way for a breeze to enter. It is said that this room is an intensely spiritual place, and any student who meditates in it for an hour or more finds themselves refreshed and leaves with a distinct feeling of peacefulness.

The Schools and Grand Masters

The Budo Zen Dojo is unique in that it is actually two distinct schools of martial arts in one. Grand Masters Yin and Yang were brothers by oath who, despite their vastly different approaches to the martial arts, maintained a strong bond of friendship over their lives. Though both were lost in a battle against the six Grand Masters of the nefarious ごまかし Deception School of Ninja (Not one of the six survived the battle, despite managing to fatally poison the pair), their students carried on their legacy of cooperation and mutual respect.

Still, the schools are distinctly separate. The South School uses The Doctrine of the Dragon, a practical guidebook written by Yang on the techniques of groundfighting and grappling. Yang was known in his life as the "Coiling Dragon" because, it was said, he was impossible to escape if he got a hold on his opponent. He was a no-nonsense man with an indomitable spirit. He claimed to have learned his style after meditating in front of a growing vine for five years and watching it choke the life from a sapling tree. It was said that Yang was also able to will the earth beneath him to subdue his opponents and some historians site him as a powerful earthbender.

The North School swears by the Tale of the Tiger, a lighthearted book of stories, hidden in which are the secrets to an entire style of standing martial arts. The stories revolve around the adventures of Otoko and his close friend Kasai, two wanderers who travel across a country defeating evil spirits. Yin, the author, was known as a tireless and endlessly clever fistfighter who amalgamated his favorite aspects of many styles to create one seamless catalog of the most effective techniques. Until his death Yin was an undefeated duelist (for neither Yin nor Yang could ever best the other in combat) and a notorious, though harmless, womanizer. In Yin's mother tongue "Kasai" means "fire", and this has led leading historians to believe that Yin was an accomplished firebender.

Rankings, Rules and Duels

Both the North and South schools are open to anyone interested in learning discipline and the martial arts. It is only natural that some students rise above the rest and such students are called "senior students". In either schools there can only ever be five senior students (for a total of ten) and they are responsible for the protection of the Dojo against foreign threats, answering the calls of dojo destroyers and generally maintaining the cleanliness and standards of the two schools. All other students are called either "unranked students" or "junior students". As a sign of respect, there are no Grand Masters, nor have there ever been since the deaths of Yin and Yang. Instead, students are allowed to read certain chapters of their school's respective textbooks to learn the fundamentals, while senior students are always available to teach the finer points of their school's philosophy and movesets.

All junior students, regardless of skill level or age, are considered equals. If a junior student believes he has the skill to become a senior student, he may challenge the lowest ranked senior student to a Formal Duel. Formal Duels are simply duels which increase a student's rank. The ranks are clarified below:

1st Senior Student

2nd Senior Student

3rd Senior Student

4th Senior Student

5th Senior Student

All Junior Students

As can be seen, becoming the 1st senior student is like climbing a ladder, for to move to the next rank of senior student one must defeat and displace the person holding the rank above him/her. A 5th senior student who is defeated by a junior student becomes a junior student once again.

[OOC rules for Formal Duels:
-Any senior student can only be challenged by one junior or lesser senior student at a time. If a senior student is challenged by another student, you cannot also challenge them at the same time. Obviously, challenging is first-come-first-serve.
-Formal Duels have a 10 post per writer limit.
-A senior student has one week to respond to a challenge (which must be PMed to the senior student) and one month following the challenge to a Formal Duel to actually have said duel. If the PM goes unanswered for a week, or the duel does not begin within a month due to senior student inactivity he/she forfeits her match and drops a rank.
-A senior student can never deny or abstain from a Formal Duel unless the challenger is breaking one of the rules on this list.
-A senior student can only be challenged by any given student once every three months (except for in the case of a rematch after a tie, see below). Students are discouraged from simply challenging their seniors over and over and over again if they have not further developed as a roleplay fighter since the last Formal Duel.
-In the event of a tie, the challenger does not ascend in rank, though may challenge the senior student again in one month rather than three.
-Formal Duels are judged by all of the other senior students save for the one challenged. The grading rubric is as follows:

(Each section must be given a grade from 1-5 for each fighter, with 1 being poor and 5 being excellent. Every senior student must read the fight of a Formal Duel and submit one of )

Strategy: (How well did the writer use in-character knowledge to defeat his opponent? Did he perform in a way that gave him the most benefit for the least expenditure of energy/time/effort? Did his posts posts make it clear that he understands the moves his character is performing? Was his strategy understandable? If so, award a high score. A low score should be awarded for repetitive use of a tactic that does not work, using knowledge that the writer's character should not have, or using excessively large or powerful attacks for little apparent gain, among other things.)

Respect: (While a fighter will obviously not be hit by every attack, did the writer allow his opponent to successfully land at least a few important attacks? Did each opponent keep their writing free of subtle out-of-character insults? If the writer asked for out-of-character clarification, were they polite? If so, award a high score. A low score should be awarded for rudeness of any sort, auto-dodging a large amount of the opponent's attacks or neglecting to respect the amount of damage an opponent suggests his attack will do, among other things.)

Entertainment: (Were the fighter's posts interesting to read? Did they use their character backstory, previous interactions and personal goals as writing material to make their character's actions seem realistic and natural? If so, award a high score. A low score should be awarded for posts with little substance outside of technical fighting terms, posts with oddly justified or poorly explained reasons behind the actions taken by a character, or posts with poor grammar and syntax, among other things.)]

Current Senior Students
(At this time, being appointed to a rank is by request and first-come-first-serve. PM Vansin to apply.)

South School

1st Senior Student
??? [Fiend of The West]

2nd Senior Student
Cole Sulfurkrieg [Savoki Sanoci]

3rd Senior Student
Hayabusa, Jinsoku [ImNoHero]

4th Senior Student
Samuel [Samayou Tamashii]

5th Senior Student

North School

1st Senior Student
Budo Zen No Chōnan [The Vansin]

2nd Senior Student
Daisuke Masataka [Masataka Daisuke]

3rd Senior Student
Y'houdre Hyourotou [RaveFlyz]

4th Senior Student
Sasha [AlexSilverX]

5th Senior Student

[The Vansin]

Powers, Abilities and Bending

Constant challenge is an important feature of this thread. To be a senior student is a high honor and, hopefully, the list of senior students will be full of Gaia's best roleplay fighters (and, if you find it isn't, it your responsibility to challenge their legitimacy!). However Gaian roleplay combat is unbalanced and unfair by its very nature, with characters given wild, varied and untested powers which more often stifle fairness and balance then enable it. Here, in this thread, because of the competitive nature of the Dojo we abide by strict power caps.

Due to the mystical nature of the area, all technology and technological based powers cease to function in the Dojo. Alongside this, all non-elemental powers are negated within the same zone. All characters are allowed to enter, but even if you play a super-powerful devil his physical attributes and magical powers are reduced to human-level for the entire time he is within fifty mile of the Dojo.

This is not done to take away your character's uniqueness, but to ensure a level playing field for the purposes of a fair competitive scene. The Dojo's focus is the martial arts with a light eastern magical twist. the twist takes the form of, for lack of a better reference, elemental bending. If you have not watched Avatar: The Last Airbender then you may not understand bending, but it is simply the manipulation of either Earth, Water, Air or Fire. This control does not work on an atomic level, meaning that you should not be splitting the hydrogen atoms from water; nor does it work very far, and the limits of any elemental ability can only ever extend 20 feet from the user.

Why? Simple: This encourages close range combat. That's the goal of this thread.

Characters who existed previous to this thread should not be limited to having no powers at all compared to elemental manipulators who are created specifically for this thread. Any previously created PC who comes to the Dojo may meditate for 1 hour in the Zazen Room to have their characters temporarily gain the power to bend/manipulate a single element in the confines (that is, in the thread) of the Dojo. Once this element is chosen it cannot be changed, even if the character leaves and returns.

Here's an overview of each element and the general powers you can have :

Earth: Earthbenders, or earth manipulators can move earth around them. They can levitate chunks of earth within 20 feet of themselves and throw them double that range. They can cause spires or blocks of earth to erupt from the ground and they can soften earth underneath an opponent's feet to hamper their movements, among other things. Please do not use Earthbending to create "tombs" or sink people headfirst into the ground. If you want to hamper an opponents movements, there are other ways to slow them down than to auto-hit and one-hit-KO.

Water: Waterbenders, or water manipulators can control ambient water around them and throw it in powerful sprays, they can create large waves to knock over enemies, they can turn water into ice and create sharp javelins, disks, weapons..etc. Given the mutable nature of water it's hard to imagine what shape the element cannot take. Given its varied and powerful nature, water manipulation must be handled very responsibly. Please refrain from using water to one-hit-KO, like any other element.

Air: Like water, and perhaps even more so, Airbending or air manipulation is a style with a plethora of options. Airbending excels at augmenting a fighter's movement, though Airbenders must be extremely wary not to speedhack, or have air give them such added speed that an opponent cannot possibly keep up with them. It is important to remember that there should never be a situation in which your character cannot be hit. Keep your airbending defenses (or any other elemental defenses) adequate but not perfect, lest you give yourself an unfair advantage.

Fire: Fire is the most overtly dangerous element, though the one with the arguably smallest level of versatility. Firebenders can create fire from their limbs and throw it around themselves in a 20 foot radius. Inside this kill-zone a firebender is extraordinarily dangerous. Firebenders must be wary of committing the easy-to-make mistake of overkill. Scale the power of your attacks to your opponent to give them a chance to defend and counter-attack. Fighting is like a conversation, and it's always rude to talk so much and so loudly that the other person can't get a word in. Such behavior gets low scores in Formal Duels.

[The Fiend of the West]

[Reserved]

[The Vansin]

Record of Tournament Victories, Formal Duels, OOC rules and Appreciation

Tournament Information

Tournament Victors:
-N/A

Upcoming tournaments:

Quote:

The North School Standing-Strike Tournament

OOC thread, Rules and Roster: HERE

The North School will be holding a melee combat and elemental bending competition beginning on the date of March 8th. This competition is open to the first 16 to 24 (depending on interest) students or guests who apply. Registration begins on February 20th and lasts until March 8th or until 24 applicants have been accepted. Further applicants will be taken to assume vacancies if fighters do not show. The tournament will be around the Dojo and subject to the natural restrictions of the sacred ground itself.

The tournament will be graded by the top two Senior Students of the North School and a third guest judge.

This is a single elimination tournament which will award the winner 500K (plus any third part donations) and the prestige of being immortalized as the first ever winner of a Budo Zen Tournament, complete with a victory plaque with his/her likeness and name placed on the North School wall forever.

Formal Duels

Current:


Resolved:

Quote:

Cole Sulfurkrieg :South School 3rd Rank
Challenge issued on Fri Feb 17, 2012 12:09 pm against...
Hayabusa, Jinsoku: South School 2nd Rank

Victor
Cole Sulfurkrieg

Cole Ascends to South School 2nd Rank
Jinsoku Descends to South School 3rd Rank

OOC Rules

-Know the ToS, obey it.
-Do not force any permanent conditions on an opponent without their expressed permission. (Death, crippling injury, disease...etc)
-Do not bicker unnecessarily. Senior students can be contacted to make judgement calls on fights. If a senior student is ever unsure, please just contact The Vansin or Fiend of The West.
-Keep OOC out of the IC thread unless attached to an IC post.

Closing Note

This thread was created by The Vansin and Fiend of the West. We reserve the right to change anything in the thread we like as we see fit. I don't think we often will. Either way I'd like to thank everyone who is playing in this thread. I hope this becomes a fun filled place for fighters to go to train and socialize their characters with one another. Build relationships and rivalries. Keep each other alert and on your toes. Fight a whole lot.

Have fun, compete cooperatively.
Thanks for coming

-Vansin+Fiend

[Samayou Tamashii]

The drive was long but not too bad, from his back window he could see everything clearly. After awhile a black sedan pulled up to the Dojo, a male Caucasian in a nice black suit stepped out of the limo, his short blonde hair shining in the sunlight. he had blue eyes and a firm build, a man who enjoyed to run and was light on his feet. The 6'2" human male known as peter moved to the other side of the sedan and opened the door, from it a being stepped out.

Samuel took his first steps onto the Dojo hollow ground, his 6'6" frame towering over peter as he stepped out of his ride. The CEO of Aeon Pharmaceutical and founder of Stone Fitness Center on Gaia looked around, his pale empty eyes coming across several students who all stopped their chatter on the front porch. Samuel was a big man with a thick but athletic build, his height and size was impressive but it was his other features that attracted attention. Skin as black as night, eyes as pale as the moon and more scars on his body than one could count. His hair was set back behind his slightly pointy ears and he had a face that was stern and solid.

He wore black sneakers, black cargo pants and a skin tight t-shirt cut off at the sleeves. He reached behind him and pulled form his car a black duffel bag that he slung over his broad shoulder before looking around. For his training he had humanized himself, no horns or tail to demonstrate his heritage but all other aspects of his character remained. His super power where gone, his Psionic abilities sealed for now, he was for the most part mortal.

Peter: "Are you sure about this?"

Samuel: "Yes I feel it would be a good leaning experience."

Peter: "I did some research, the place allows you to attune to an element, Earth, Fire, Wind, Water. Any ideas?"

Samuel; "I am a psionic, my soul is attuned to my mind, I can not attune to any other form, so I will go with out an element."

Peter: "I see well good luck them, I will keep the company running while you are gone."

Samuel: "Thank you Peter, give Mary my best for me, and be sure to send in that proposal to Am-Tech by the 4th of January. O and also.."

Peter lifted his hand, stopping his boss mid sentence with a single gesture, few with in the company could do this so casually.

Peter: "Mr. Samuel I got it no worries, just relax...and focus on your studies here. I will ensure all is safe when you return."

Samuel smiled at his old friend, hugging him for a quick embrace before braking contact. peter kept his hand on the man's shoulder, looking at him with almost fatherly pride.

Peter: "Go on now, make us proud my boy."

Samuel smiled as peter got back into the Sedan and drove off, honking once to wish him well and soon he was out of sight...Samuel was on his own now as he turned to face the Dojo.....

[Tresondros Ecstuffuan]

The City of Doors

Now Leaving for Portal to ???? Province, Gaia Prime

Tresondros sat patiently on the bench at the portal lobby, watching Sigil's citizens walk by and studying peoples movements as he often did. It was just how the psion's mind worked due to who he was. Tres's mind was peculiar, not just for its ability to manifest psionic powers but also for the fact that the psion had a particular skill at memorizing, recognizing and breakdown movement in humanoid creatures.

He would often find himself lost in the minute particular intricacies of the way a person moved, that was until his focus was broken by someone walking up to him asking his autograph. Tres was also a warrior who was extraordinarily popular, especially within the city of doors where he was known as The Peoples Champ. Eventually though, the intercom called out for the portal being activated to the place that he wanted to go and with that the psion stood up and walked towards the exit.

Tres was dressed casually in some jeans, a white beater with a black leather bomber jacket over it. He had a small single strap back strapped around his wide massive back. His dreads were neatly done because he knew where he was going there wouldn't be any hair salons. Plugged in his ears were the small white ear buds who's line connected to his Iphone in his pocket. He was presently listening to b*****d by Tyler the Creator.

Tres stood patiently in the line to walk through the portal, casually ignoring all the people staring at him as he were some sort of rock star. You had to be dismissive about your fans some times, because if Tres entertained them all the time he would never have any time to himself. In fact, now, he was going to leave for some training. The Heaven or Hell was delayed and that meant that he had more time on his hands than he expected, Lovi had gone to her home plane for some holiday that Tres hadn't heard of, so he figured he would take this time to go study at a Dojo that was gaining popularity in the fighters circles.

[Tresondros Ecstuffuan]

Gaia Prime - The Bamboo Forest Surrounding the Budo Zen Dojo

The hum of the portal faded away behind him, giving way to the rhythmic ambiance of the wilderness. His entire body was saturated in an emerald green light as the gaian sun tore through the tall bamboo washed by their hue. He took a large breath, savoring the fresh honeyed air of nature. Standing there, just taking it all in for a moment. He grew to appreciate it all the more because he had grown so used to the cosmopolitan aroma's of the planar city. It was peaceful in its homogeneity and something about it calmed his often fiery soul. So, after a moment of thoughtful contemplation the psion started off towards the forest.

Tres was brought back to his time training with the Githyanki Monks in the Temple of Zuoken and training with his father in the old abandoned Lu-Bu Dojo as he walked through the bamboo forest savoring thoughts of remote temples. Tres knew the reason for seclusion despite his preference for social and urban life styles was so that one could be alone with one's art and pay it the attention it deserved once in a while. So Tres wasn't immediately turned off, even when as he walked he found that his Iphone deactivated and simply ceased to function. Tres understood that places like these sometimes had a supernatural aversion to the wonders of science and so he did not worry and pressed on.

Yet something even more strange happened as Tres brought his hands up to part the final layer bamboo before a clearing. As he placed his hand on that last rung of bamboo, he felt an inkling in his mind. Something about this place was telling him to transform his crystalline hand back into flesh and so he followed this compulsion. Though it was a conscious effort on behalf of the psion, he did not want to disrespect a place of learning. Despite all of Tres's haughtiness and his arrogance, the man respected temples dedicated to learning because all places of study were holy before his god Ioun.

Once he manifested this psychometabolic power and relinquished his overt psionic mutations, he stepped into the clearing to stand before the temple itself.

[The Vansin]

[The North School]

Chōnan leaped into the air. His legs curled up from the floor as he rose. His stern eyes narrowed. His elbows flared out slightly, like wings stabilizing his free-fall. He turned his head to the left, and released his left leg-

"Huyah!"

The sole of his foot thrust outward. His arms tensed. His leg pushed through the sunkissed air leaking in from the hand-made windows. The legging of his uniform gave a crisp snap as the kick came to completion. Air swooshed away from his strike.

Gravity then began to pull the First Son back toward the ground.

He retracted his leg, resuming a similar posture in mid-air as he had before he'd struck out. His legs were bent as he dropped, and quickly spread to place him in a firm horse-stance when he hit the ground-

Crack!

The finished wooden floorboards received his feet with little complaint. His skin and the wood connected with equal, controlled force which sent only the slightest reverberations up the man's leg. The firebender's arms checked themselves, correcting a slightly incorrect posture upon regaining balance. Overall, the kick had been successful. Chōnan smiled.

"Gyah!" He cried, next jumping to perform a spinning back kick. He leaped into the air in a familiar form, with his legs curled. This time, however, his rear right leg followed his gaze, which was turned back over his shoulder, and kicked behind him at the imaginary foe whose face was placed precisely in the bit of air the martial artist's foot pounded through.

Chōnan imagined this hypothetical opponent crashing into the far wall of the North School, slamming to a halt under the smiling picture of Grand Master Yin. Since learning about the ancient man, Chōnan had come to respect his very...unorthodox path to firebending mastery. The man was not the controlled anger of the Fire Nation, but one who believed that fire and life were synonymous. He lived hard, and his big heart kept his fire strong.

Chōnan struggled to master his own bitterness and create a fire that sprung forth from peace instead of anger, but it was much easier said than done...

[Masataka Daisuke]

Several months prior:

Daisuke sat impatiently upon the bench at the downtown Aekea bus stop, a short jaunt from the orphanage where he had endured a brief stint since the untimely passing of his parents. Presently, the young man sat, right leg bouncing nervously as he thumbed through the varied selection of music on his iPod while he waited for his bus. He was headed out of town. Seated beside him was a large knapsack, almost as large as the lanky young man. Within it were all of his worldly belongings. He could carry everything he owned slung (not without a modest struggle, mind you) over his shoulder. He would kill time as best he could, listening to music, people-watching, whatever he could do to keep his racing mind in-check. Though he was always confident in his abilities, unique 'round the orphanage to say the least, he couldn't help but feel privileged now that he had a real opportunity to test himself. The thought caused a wide, carefree smile to make its way across his lips. He jumped to his feet, heaved his large knapsack up over a slender shoulder, and boarded the bus as it arrived in due time.

At some point in the not-too-distant future, the young man sat wide-eyed as the bus finally came to a stop at what appeared to be little more than a single, stand-alone bench by the side of the long, winding country road. He hopped off, the last passenger remaining on the shuttle, and it quickly disappeared into the distance. With a deep breath, he paused only to adjust his knapsack once more before pressing on.

With a light step, he made good time, seemingly enjoying his little nature hike through the more-scenic parts of the prairie, and then the wood. He managed the oft-dense wooded area better than one would assume of a "city-boy", keeping up his good pace until, inevitably, the bamboo finally gave way and those wide, wondrous eyes settled upon the dojo in the near distance.

Presently:

Daisuke sat with surprising calmness, taking in the full effect of the serene "Zazen Room". Comfortably cross-legged, he occupied a singular mat facing the fire. Eyes closed, hands resting upon his knees, he inhaled deeply before exhaling a long, controlled breath. He was controlling his breathing, it seemed; he was perfectly in tune with the eerie, almost-otherworldly breeze which circulated through the mystical place. He would remain there, in meditation, until events as-of-yet unknown came to pass.

[Samayou Tamashii]

Samuel was a man that believed in fate, he also thought sometimes the numbers just added up the right way. As he began to approach the Dojo front door he would turn his head, noticing a man come from the Bamboo tree line and none other then was it Tres. Samuel figured a Dojo with Oriental style and good word would draw the man here, it was a 86% probability. Samuel gave him a slight wave as he turned his attention back to the front where several students where giving him, how humans say, the stink eye? Their aggressive nature towards him was odd, he pondered its reasoning as he waited for his young friend to catch up with him.

[Tresondros Ecstuffuan]

Outside of the Dojo

"Oh boy"

The psion remarked sarcastically as he saw movement near the entrance of one half of the dojo. Large, Black...darker than his dad's brown ebony skin...it could only have been one person. 'I got to deal with this 300 pound pile of monkey crap again', Tres thought but he washed the thought away. Samuel hadn't really done anything to earn his disrespect, other than putting him through a table in that short match a few years ago. Sam was also a fellow Psion, so he guessed that he owed it to Ioun to at least show the darkened devil some courtesy upon meeting him. So he simply waved back with a forced smile.

Tres walked forward, heading towards the same entrance Samuel went through.

[Samayou Tamashii]

Samuel gave him a slight nod as he caught up and then turned, ready to enter the Dojo...except one problem.

The several students who had been outside now stood before him, at the base of the porch with their arms crossed. Their eyes glaring at him with intensity that he could only take for some sort of hatred. The beast of a man sighed, hoping he could resolve this conflict with some short of peaceful resolution.

"Can I um...help you?'

The ring leader of the group, or at least the one brave enough to speak glanced at him with a scoff before crossing his arms.

Student: "No, but you can help yourself and leave. See our humble little Dojo doesn't haven't any of the luxuries you may be use to, MR. Samuel."

Samuel: "O well that is fine, I could sleep on ground easily, and please its just Samuel, Sammy even if you like."

Student: "Yeah well there is plenty of ground out there too."

The young man pointed to the woods for a brief second before turning back to Samuel. his eyes locked on the man's empty eyes. He broke away quickly though, not seeming to be able to withstand staring into those emotionless eyes long enough to try and act tough.

Samuel: "I see well I am sure at some point in the training I will be sleeping out there, I look forward to it. But for now I'd rather meet the Teachers first and introduce myself to them, then I am sure you and I can become acquainted."

Samuel nodded to them before turning to Tres with his head, motioning with his hand for the young man to lead the way.

[Tresondros Ecstuffuan]

Samayou Tamashii

Samuel gave him a slight nod as he caught up and then turned, ready to enter the Dojo...except one problem.

The several students who had been outside now stood before him, at the base of the porch with their arms crossed. Their eyes glaring at him with intensity that he could only take for some sort of hatred. The beast of a man sighed, hoping he could resolve this conflict with some short of peaceful resolution.

"Can I um...help you?'

The ring leader of the group, or at least the one brave enough to speak glanced at him with a scoff before crossing his arms.

Student: "No, but you can help yourself and leave. See our humble little Dojo doesn't haven't any of the luxuries you may be use to, MR. Samuel."

Samuel: "O well that is fine..."

The Porch of the Dojo

"Is there a problem?"

The psion interrupted as he approached the entrance at the base of the porch from behind the darkened devil. Tres appeared concerned that perhaps the occupants of this school were not as welcoming to outsiders as he hoped. Tres had come from the Lu-Bu Dojo, he grew up under his father's teachings and had taken upon the teachings of Ioun. To Tres, everyone had the right to learn and if this place offended that philosophy then it would offend him.

The students continued once Samuel was finished talking. Apparently the students expected outsiders to sleep outside in the woods. Samuel seemed to be more comfortable with this than Tres was, because once Tres heard it he had an expression of outrage. Tres stepped up to say something until it occurred to him that it might be unwise before meeting the leaders of this establishment.

"Yeah, I hope the teacher's are as friendly...", the psion said smugly. Once the student began to lead the way into the dojo to meet the teacher's Tres would mean mug the group of students around him while following inside...

[Masataka Daisuke]

Samayou Tamashii

Samuel nodded to them before turning to Tres with his head, motioning with his hand for the young man to lead the way.

"Hey!" A voice called out, some distance away, originating somewhere behind Samuel as he turned away from the group of students. From behind the aforementioned group, a tall, lanky kid emerged. Oddly dressed, given the circumstances, in skinny jeans, a plain black undershirt and a red-and-white jacket, he parted the crowd with a wave of his hand.

"Hey, big guy. C'mon inside." He said, his smile was disarming, decidedly "cool". His eyes were similarly placid, a dark shade of grayish-blue.

"You too!" He added, gesturing toward Tres as he stood in the distance.

"Go find Chōnan, tell him we have guests." He told the nearest student, who proceeded to do so immediately.

"Sorry 'bout that..." The young man began to explain, nervously scratching at the back of his head, doing his best to keep up his disarming smile. "Some of the guys are a little touchy when it comes to outsiders. No big deal, I hope?" He asked, leveling his gaze upon Samuel.