musubi | thirty-third breath ✧ voice/action

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luceti

thirty-third breath ✧ voice/action

[Today, Isamu makes a public post from a public place. That is to say that he's sitting with his journal open in the middle of the clothing store, up on one of the tables where he's moved aside a pile of assorted coats.

He looks serious, thoughtful, though he hasn't actually picked out anything yet.]

Those of you who work with the filial spirits here... How did you get them to work with you? Because I'm trying to figure out what makes them work with some people and not with others.

[For the longest time, the only one that would respond to him was Nala, and he feels lucky to have managed that much sometimes.

What this has to do with him sitting among piles of clothes isn't all that apparent.]

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[The teen does his best to block. At first, the counters are rather desperate, but after a few he starts to fall into form a little bit better.

He's still struggling, of course, but not quite as badly.]

[Don continues the pattern until Isamu almost looks like he's good at this. Then, in one swift move, he disarms Isamu and knocks his hat off.]

[Just to prove that he's better.]

[He sputters a bit after that, just sort of staring and glaring at the turtle.]

...Now that's rude.

[Poor hat.]

You should have blocked.

[Isamu can only fume, face pink.

He was trying!]

[Being completely humiliated is part of training. Pick up your hat and your weapon, student, and take it like a ninja.]

[The teen grumbles something inaudible and does just that, trying to move quickly while keeping his eyes trained on the turtle in case he tries anything else sudden.

He shouldn't have worn the hat to training, honestly.]

Alright. Try that again.

[Yeah, probably not.]

[Don is impressed by Isamu's wariness, and happy to repeat the moves - pattern of strikes, followed by disarm and de-hat - to give the teen a chance to redeem himself.]

[He does a little better this time, managing to avoid being disarmed, but the hat still goes flying.

He sighs almost as if e expected this, blowing a few strands of hair away from his eyes in annoyance.]

[Don leans on his bo and gestures to the hat.]

Give it to me.

[After a moment of hesitation, and not looking pleased about it, Isamu does so.

It had better stay in one piece.]

[Relax, Isamu. Don just puts the hat on, fitting it awkwardly over his big head.]

Now knock it off. [...] The hat, I mean.

You'd better not stretch that.

[It isn't much of a threat. The hat's seen worse.

He takes a moment to think up the best course of action, finally trying the sort of feint Don had used earlier. Granted, his is far more clumsy.]

My head's not that big.

[He's probably setting himself up for something with that line, but whatever. The strike is easily blocked, and he beckons for Isamu to try again.]

Says Mr. Showoff.

[Isamu grins, trying for another attack. It's not a whole lot better than the first one.]

[Well, that could have been worse.]

[Don blocks this strike too, though he does note the slight improvement.]

Focus. Where do you want me to be, so you have an opening for that attack?

I can't just tell you where to be. That's like cheating, isn't it?

[He strikes again, hoping to catch the turtle off guard.]

[Don is not distracted by this, but he does give his student a Look.]

No, Isamu, that's like strategy.

You say that like they can't be one and the same.

...What if you bent down a little more?

No. Yamete.

[He lowers his staff, and waits for Isamu to do the same.]

Isamu, cheating is a really important concept. You have to know where the line is.

[He'd been mostly kidding with that comment, but he lowers his staff anyway.

These sort of lessons will probably happen whether he wants them or not, so he might as well go with it.]

[Geez. How to even approach this conversation.]

Please tell me that you are familiar with the idea of honor.

Of course I am!

If you're trying to say I'm completely honorless, then that stings a little, Don.

[He was friends with Raph, after all.]

[That's a pretty serious accusation.]

I'm saying that everyone needs to stop once in a while and think about what honor means to them.

[Isamu frowns.]

I'm not sure what you're getting at.

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