The hooded figure looked at the mountain master.
"I am here, sensei, to learn teh ways of the Mountain school."
Wack Jack stood up. "And of course I'm here to teach for you."
Light Strike stood up. "I think I'll try the tempest school."
"So Reishi, here to impart your wisdom to the younglings and teach?" Xander said with a smile, "Or are you here to settle our fight? Afterall, you do not like to leave a fight as a draw."
Xander lifted the bamboo staff to his shoulders and rested it there.
[ QUOTE ]
"A weapon is only as sturdy as the hand that holds it," Reishi imparted.
[/ QUOTE ]
Jake yawns and breaks off a long bamboo staff, slinging it over his shoulder with a laugh.
"So this thing should never break right?"
@Shotgunbadger
Hero Main: Bright Arrow
Villian "Main": Jack the Scrapper
Proud Altoholic and Virtueite RPer
"Only if you believe that by selecting your weapon like that would do you any good," Xander began, "It is best selected by attuning your chi to the earth and finding the one that resonates with your soul. That is the first leason I teach."
Gerden walked over beside the Tempest master and said, "I chose the Tempest school specifically because I'm better at defense than at offense. I plan to master both schools, but improving my weak point seems to be the best way to start."
"I chose my school for a similar reason," Megumi stated plainly. "When I fight Gerden, he almost always wins, because he can land a million blows before I hit him once, even though that blow can knock him flat in one strike. If I learn to dodge and block better, and maybe to use some defensive chi powers, maybe I'll win the next time I fight him."
Halven turned to the assembled students. "Well, I believe that is everyone. Unless there is somebody I'm forgetting, we should probably be heading in now. It's really getting rather late."
"My body is my weapon, this stick," Jake smirked as he twirled the pole. "This stick is my hold-out, I am attuned with my main weapon, my body."
@Shotgunbadger
Hero Main: Bright Arrow
Villian "Main": Jack the Scrapper
Proud Altoholic and Virtueite RPer
"Is that so," Xander replied, "We shall have to test that in my class. Of course that does imply you even make it that far." He bowed towards the Master of the Tempest School. Xander's heavy trenchcoat blew in the wind as he walked forward towards the Master.
Jake smirked as Xander walked by "I will bub, I think you'll be supprised at the tricks this punk has up his sleeves."
@Shotgunbadger
Hero Main: Bright Arrow
Villian "Main": Jack the Scrapper
Proud Altoholic and Virtueite RPer
((Quick question, Midnight: is Xander and old-timer returning to teach once more, meaning he would know the Tempest Master and vice versa, a graduate returning to teach, kinda like Reishi, or a newcomer?))
The Tempest Master chuckled at such words, "Oh, you believe you know much about us, do you? well, you'll quickly discover that the Path of Strength isn't always synonymous with dealing the first blow - just as the path of Serenity doesn't teach nothing but defense."
Hotaka nodded in adreement, looking into the underbrush. His own apprentices should have been here by now...what was keeping them this time...?
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
(( This will be his second time teaching at the school. But he was a graduate from the school. ))
Jack stayed quiet as he sat on the rock.
Light Strike meanwhile smiled at the conversations going on around him. "Tell me, is it always like this around here?"
"It will be an honor to once again teach here, Sensei," Xander replied as he straightened from the bow.
Reishi looked Jake in the eye.
"There's more to choosing a weapon than your strength or the weapon's strength. In the hands of a good master, a bamboo stick like that can be a lethal force, but by no means is it unbreakable. Allow me to demonstrate."
She walked over and plucked a branch from a nearby tree. It was about the size of Reishi's forearm and very thin. She held the branch up to her forehead and closed her eyes. A moment later she swung the branch at a larger branch, severing it from the tree, then she slammed it on the ground, creating a tiny crater. By this time the branch appeared to be withering.
"Just a normal branch channeling my energy, I can get three strikes out of it against objects that offer little resistance. But it's still merely a branch. It's mosly protected by my own power, though it has a bit of strength itself," she explained.
"It will be an honor to have you with us again, Mr. Fang." the Tempest Master bowed as well, a sign of mutual respect, "As with you, Mr. Ryuu, and Ms. Tenryuu. But now come, the gate awaits. It is time."
And as two Jounin finally bounded through the trees and into the bushes, dropping into the soft grass at the rear of the group, Hotaka agreed he was ready as well.
"Your students, I assume?" the Tempest Master wanted to know, waving a hand at the bridge for the students to step onto it.
"In a way." Hotaka smiled, "They are now quite capable themselves, and they will be assisting me."
"I see." the Master returned the smile, "Very well, let us be off then."
The Tepest bridge led out and into the mist, across the gorge. However, it never reached the other side. In the middle of the bridge sat a large, ornately decoaretd wooden gate, cobalt blue and white, the school colors marking every inch of it.
And it was still closed...
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
OOC: Wait, what? I thought it had to be open so that the Masters could get out to the students. The Masters definitely live in the Temples. The teachers may have the time to take sabbaticals, but the administrators definitely have to remain in there. Or is there some facet of our entrance I'm missing? Did we teleport out?
On the other side of the massive gate stood two temples separated by a large courtyard. School colors flew high on each temple, and students were training en masse in the courtyard, with sparring competitions taking place in the central courtyard.
The gardens were unlike anything the students had seen. Orchids were extremely prominant, the flower of the current Groundskeeper, Xiao Ran (OOC: 'Ran' can mean 'orchid' 
). Also prominant, of course, were the standard lotus flowers and bamboo forests. Several parts of both temples were also set aside for farming. The Tempest side, it seemed, had more livestock while the Mountain side had more fruits and vegetables. What the students didn't know was that food was mutually exclusive: Raising plants and animals was a joint effort by both schools in an (sometimes vain) effort to get both schools to cooperate on something other than tournaments.
The only thing between the two temples other than the courtyard was a small structure with a plethora of picnic benches in front of it, some raised to allow seating and some closer to the ground with mats instead of
[ QUOTE ]
OOC: Wait, what? I thought it had to be open so that the Masters could get out to the students. The Masters definitely live in the Temples. The teachers may have the time to take sabbaticals, but the administrators definitely have to remain in there. Or is there some facet of our entrance I'm missing? Did we teleport out?
[/ QUOTE ]
(OOC: Indeed there's no physical wall or barrier between either of the schools. The only thing between them is the mess hall and the central courtyard. And the walls of the actual temple structures, but that's a given)
[ QUOTE ]
Reishi looked Jake in the eye.
"There's more to choosing a weapon than your strength or the weapon's strength. In the hands of a good master, a bamboo stick like that can be a lethal force, but by no means is it unbreakable. Allow me to demonstrate."
She walked over and plucked a branch from a nearby tree. It was about the size of Reishi's forearm and very thin. She held the branch up to her forehead and closed her eyes. A moment later she swung the branch at a larger branch, severing it from the tree, then she slammed it on the ground, creating a tiny crater. By this time the branch appeared to be withering.
"Just a normal branch channeling my energy, I can get three strikes out of it against objects that offer little resistance. But it's still merely a branch. It's mosly protected by my own power, though it has a bit of strength itself," she explained.
[/ QUOTE ]
Jake just laughed "Chill babe, I just was kiddin around."
With that he smirked and began to focus on the bamboo, holding it more like a fencing blade then a staff. Soon the stick lit up with bright green energy as Jake twirled it around with a laugh, finally striking the ground to make a crater slightly larger then the one Rei made with her stick.
Jake laughed loudly as he put his staff back to normal and slung it over his shoulder and walked the bridge to the temple. "I make Luke Skywaker look like Special Ed!"
@Shotgunbadger
Hero Main: Bright Arrow
Villian "Main": Jack the Scrapper
Proud Altoholic and Virtueite RPer
Jake smiled as he took in the sight, instantly darting around the courtyards laughing happily. "Wowie this is a sweet joint we have! Look at this nature! We really live here?"
@Shotgunbadger
Hero Main: Bright Arrow
Villian "Main": Jack the Scrapper
Proud Altoholic and Virtueite RPer
((Well, the opening of the gates WAS supposed to be dramatic and all, but meh, I guess not. 
))
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
[ QUOTE ]
((Well, the opening of the gates WAS supposed to be dramatic and all, but meh, I guess not. ))
[/ QUOTE ]
(OOC: The gates already opened...it's how the masters got to the students.)
Reishi smirked as she noticed Jake's bamboo stick was just as withered as her tiny stick.
And he'd only swung it once.
"Just because it glows, doesn't mean it's more powerful," she whispered to herself cheerfully.
This was going to be fun.
Light Strike followed Hotaka and the others from Tempest.
"Well, this should be very interesting."
Meanwhile the hooded man and Wack Jack began walking across to the Mountain school.
"So what's your story?" Jack asked as they walked.
"I cannot tell you."
"Why? One of those ninja things? I'll tell ya one thing, you ain't no ninja. Your stance gave it away. That and the way you talk."
"Hmmm." the hooded man was surprised by the other man.
"I still cannot tell you, though you are becoming persistant."
"Call me Jack."
Xander chuckled at the display. He leaned over to talk with Reishi, "Seems you have gotten a little stronger, since our last fight." He chuckled lightly as he continued forward into the courtyard. Several of the students stopped as he passed by, they bowed slightly. He nodded his head towards them.
Yuri followed the others through the gate to the Mountain Temple. She was a bit surprised there were so many other students here. This must not be a very exclusive school, she said to no one in particular. Just then, she noticed how dingy her clothes were and how dirty her face must look. Where can we take a bath and when do we get to change into the temple clothes?
"A weapon is only as sturdy as the hand that holds it," Reishi imparted.
She turned to face Kagura.
"Kagura, which school do you wanna enter?"
"...Mountain," she said quietly, and moved to stand with Yin.