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 Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:48 am
Xaijin was very proud of her reluctant student. She'd met Indri by chance, finding them when another student was late. Indri had submitted to training that day, but only barely. Ever since, Indri had been her pupil. She'd coached them through the basics, and now even into some of the more advanced battle arts. She knew Indri still had a lot of issues with confidence, but she also knew it was time to move forward.
"Today I've arranged your very first battle," she told Indri. She could already anticipate the resistance, so moved forward. "You might not feel prepared for one, but you are. And you should know that you'll never really improve if you don't practice in more authentic situations. If you get attacked by a kalona, do you think they'll be impressed by how good your form is?" She shook her head. "You need to learn how to think on your feet. To do that, you need to get into a real fight."
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:52 am
 Indri blanched underneath their fur. They hadn't seen this coming, even though they belatedly realized it should have been obvious. Of course Xaijin would want them to really fight another soquili someday. That was what Xaijin trained soquili for, after all. Indri understood that Xaijin herself had fought through the highest ranks of competitors in her homeland. They had never wanted to participate in those ritualistic battles, but Xaijin apparently had other ideas. "But," they stammered. "You know I don't really want to hurt anyone. I... I can't. I'm a kirin!" Kirins were stereotypically reluctant to so much as step on an ant. There were exceptions, of course, but Indri had always considered themselves to fit the stereotype. "Thank you for the offer, but I really can't. I know you put a lot of work into me, but I can't."
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:55 am
Xaijin snorted, irritated. There it was, the protests she expected. "Listen," she snapped with her usual lack of softness. "We aren't going to be picking an innocent old grandmare off the street to fight. This isn't a brawl! It's a competition. I found someone who's excited to test their skills. They want to do this and want to do it with you."
Her dark eyes blazed behind her sunglasses. "I went through all the work to set this up, and are you really going to drop out on me?" She wasn't afraid to lay on a bit of guilt if that's what it took for success.
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:58 am
"I know!" Indri's ears were flattened back, anxious and unwilling. "I just don't want to fight someone unless they're really trying to hurt me. Like a kalona." In the back of their mind, Indri remembered the people that had hurt them even without landing blows. If only they had training in that sort of battle too...
"Why can't we just spar like usual?" They tried another tactic, suggesting an out. "You're the strongest there is, so that should be even better than battling with someone not as good, right?" Indri forced themselves to slow down, lower their voice. They knew they were easier to manipulate the more upset they were. They were determined not to let Xaijin have their way on this.
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 1:46 pm
Xaijin shook her head. She'd expected this sort of resistance, but that didn't make it any less irritating. She really did have a lot of faith in Indri's abilities, which just made it all the more annoying that they couldn't manage even a half-assed attempt at confidence themself.
"Stagnation," she growled. "Have you heard of it? If you never stretch your limits, you'll never get better." She thought back to her own training, to the seemingly endless fights her trainer had put her through. It had been difficult and sometimes painful. She'd even cursed her trainer at times. Now, she realized it had all been for her own good. A trainer wasn't supposed to be a friend. A trainer was just that, a trainer.
"Even if you only ever practice against the finest fighter in the world, you'll reach a point where you cannot improve unless you try yourself against others. That's just the way the world works, kiddo."
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 1:58 pm
A sigh huffed from between Indri's lips and they glared off towards the horizon. Thoughts ran through their mind, thoughts of rejection and defiance. They almost wanted to challenge Xaijin to a battle right then- not a practice bout like they were accustomed to, but a real fight to the point of unconsciousness, like she said were the rules for real federation battles.
The horizon on the distance blurred, and then they drew in a deep breath. No. As usual, Xaijin was right and had their best interests in mind. There wasn't any point in getting angry, they could either accept the invitation or reject it. It was as simple as that, and Xaijin couldn't make them do anything they didn't want to.
Just like that, their tension left them. They looked back to Xaijin, finally meeting her eyes and nodding with something akin to determination. "All right. I'll do it," they said.
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 2:03 pm
Xaijin's eyes lit up, sparkling even behind her dark sunglasses. This was it! The spark of life she had been looking for. She landed a paw on Indri's shoulder and patted proudly. "That's the spirit!" she laughed, bristly fur making sounds like the wind through bare branches as it moved.
"Don't worry," she continued. "I wouldn't give you a match I didn't think you could win. It won't be easy, of course, but it'll get you some great experience. Your opponent too." There was a circle of soquili and beasts that participated in these sorts of contests. None of their training was as good as hers, in her opinion, but they were good enough to use for practice.
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Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2016 2:12 pm
Despite their conflicted feelings, Indri smiled. Xaijin was tough and not usually kind, but she always made them feel like they were capable. Indri would never have thought that they would be able to do something like this. Now, with Xaijin's help, they could be strong.
Catching her energy, their tail began to flip back and forth. "What sort of soquili are they?" they asked. They hoped it wouldn't be a kalona. They didn't think they would be ready to fight a kalona, no matter what the confident Xaijin might say. Maybe it would be another kirin. They felt they could battle another kirin fairly well.
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