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As Fayt sulked in the springs, Hayate turned his kind eyes toward Matthias. "But surely, the man must be fit to bring you balance..." He smiled. "Is that you, young man?"

Fayt sprang upward from the water. "You're horrible! Matthias, don't encourage him. He doesn't deserve an answer, he's gone senile in his old age."

"I can assure you, I have not gone... um... Who are you again?" He asked Fayt, head cocked to he side, his smile absent. It returned slowly as he let his joke sink in.

"You're incorrigible, old man!" But she still had to laugh, sitting back down in the water and letting Hayate pester someone else for a change.

Hayate turned to the boy. "I am the Japanese man, sitting in this cave, drinking tea, of course." He smiled softly, looking back down to his tea and taking another careful sip. He was an old man at heart. People at his age don't make anything easy, just for the joys of tormenting the newer generations. "Who else would I be? And to answer your question; My supplies, my body, my soul, and my mind are mine, and not mine. The air you breathe, the ground on which you sit. The blood that flows in your veins. The whole world and all its wonders, they are all a part of me as they are of you. They are everyone's, and no one's. The balance depends on the sharing of all things. This and that, them and us. Yin and yang. All must be in equality. That means that to own something is to not own it all at once, lest you disrupt the balance."

It was difficult to tell, but his accent seemed to grow crisper at the last three words, and his eyes sharpened infinitesimally, his regular trips to sip his tea interrupted for just a half second.

This would be the defining factor of today's tea, he thought. The slight hesitation as he thought of the imbalance, and his need to right it. To be sure, no tea time nor the tea drank was ever the same. That was why every motion must be cherished. This is what sets the Japanese apart from the British. The British take solace in the fact that every tea time will be exactly the same as the last.

It was true: Hayate could preach, most times. But he never spoke unless he had a purpose to do so, and never chose his words without caution; for words had to be precise to what you spoke of, in the way that you wished to speak it, otherwise the message would become corrupted.

Hayate looked at Matthias. "Good." He looked back down to his tea, and continued drinking it. It was apparent that he had completely forgotten what the boy had said. He continued his tea, calm, composed and as thoughtful as a person at a rather average play, as he usually did. The only difference now was that his tea continued to be brought to his lips as he sat, his usual grin etched into his lips.

It was at this time that Hayate finished his tea. He set his cup down slowly and gingerly, as if worried that it might turn to dust on contact with the earth. Hayate stood very slowly and calmly, and turned to face Matthias, waiting for something. He stood even as Fayt turned to face him, surprised by the sudden silence. "No! Don't do this, it isn't necessary. I know him!" Hayate ignored her. "The time has come." he stood and waited with that same air of a man too aged to be sure that anything that happened was really worth acknowledging. He had a look in his eyes that was foreign to Matthias, but not, apparently, to Fayt.

((Roll 1 is 1d20 + 4 + 9 to strike

DB will be 19 + 5 = 24
OR
DB will be (second roll) 1d20 + 3 + 4
whichever is higher))

Hp: 18/18
Ap: 8/10

Hayate nodded his head in a small bow before taking a step back, one hand directly in front of him, the blade of his hand facing Matthias, the other slightly back and to his left. As he pressed forward, he threw his left arm across his body as he threw his right back behind him, laying flat to the earth, but traveling about two-and-a-half feet off of it, spinning with his momentum, his feet moving straight at Matthias' face, one sole white with a black circle at the heel, the other the inverse, with a circle at the ball of the foot. As he spun, it formed a yin-yang before Matthias' eyes, and if he didn't soon move, he would feel the full, devastating force of this attack.

Technique Name: Flowing Stone style
Description of Jutsu: The user has specialized in a style of martial combat that allows him to focus his energy into a single strike, waiting, dodging and deflecting his opponent's attacks until spotting the perfect opening, and exploiting it. This combat style stresses the importance of both yin and yang, requiring the user to remain neutral, but allowing them to focus their ki unrestricted.
Rank: D
Ap Cost: 2 per round, plus 2 per additional turn allowed (at level 6, it will consume 4 points per round, lvl 11: 6 points)
Damage: The user gets only one attack a round, but for each normal turn they would have had after that first strike, they contribute half the damage to the strike on top of doubling the original strike's damage. +WIS MOD to that total
Requirements: 1 ki control, 20 WIS, 13 DEX
Training: 5 days
Special: The user gains the aforementioned damage bonus, plus gains a bonus to dodge bonus equal to his sleight of hand skill, which is also added to his attack bonus for his single attack. The user can also use a tumble check to dodge once per turn without using his action for the round.

This technique begins powerfully, but the drop-off at later levels can be considerable.