Brewing For a Fight (Rigel)

by **Luminescence** on April 9th, 2018, 1:35 pm

Brewing For a Fight
The 15th of spring, 518 AV

The dawn rest had just come to an end, and Lhavit was beginning to stir again as people filtered back into the streets, ready to go about their days. The early morning sunlight was pale but warm, reflecting off of the skyglass buildings and refracting iridescent spots of light into the air.

At Mhakula's Teahouse, Guzo was beginning to brew a fresh batch of tea; despite the heat, the residents of Lhavit loved their tea, and he was expecting a fairly busy day as always. "Suya my dear, do me a favour and prop the front door open, won't you? A bit of fresh air will do this old man good. This damnable heat has been getting to me, I fear." The grey-haired man addressed his granddaughter as he added a mixed blend of herbs to the boiling water.

"Of course," Atsuya nodded, stopping her sweeping of the main dining and drinking area. She crossed over to the front door, opening it as wide as she could; it took only a brief moment of scouring the ground outside to find a stone to prop against the door to keep it open.

She finished up the sweeping quickly, and just in time as the first customers began to wander in. The few servers they hired would deal with seating them, so Atsuya ducked into the backroom to help her grandfather with brewing the tea.

Seeking out Mhakula's for training, Rigel Nebula may have had doubts upon casting his gaze upon the building. It looked like any other teahouse, albeit perhaps slightly more elaborate, golden statues of Zintila adorning the perimeter. Regardless, it was perhaps one of Lhavit's worst kept secrets that the teahouse did indeed offer training in combat.

Upon entering the teahouse, Rigel would be greeted with the scent of herbs wafting through the air, fresh and not quite bitter. One of the servers approached the dark-haired man with a bright smile. "A good morning to you! Please, if you'd follow me." She beckoned, leading Rigel to an unoccupied table along the wall.

The table was small, but not cramped, having enough room for a single person to sit comfortably; the single chair was adorned with a plump cushion. "What can I get for you today? Or did you want some time to consider? I can fetch you our menu as well, if you wish." The young woman smiled at Rigel once more, waiting patiently for a response.

by **Rigel Nebula** on April 10th, 2018, 5:22 pm

Syna's light leaked through a gap between the curtains at the Solar Wind Apartments, spilling onto Rigel's face as he lay, waking him. The previous night, a couple of locals had managed to convince him to join them at their favorite bar after his performance at the Star's Shadow and, after coming back to his room at Leth-knows-what-time, he had been too tired to bother closing the curtains properly. He sorely regretted that decision as he groggily climbed out of bed and got ready for the day, his head pounding. Never again, he thought to himself.

Luckily, he had the following three days all to himself, so he wouldn't have to worry about being late for work. He opened the curtains and took some time to bathe in the warmth of the morning light before dressing in his usual all-black outfit, with the exception of his backpack and sword. He wouldn't be needing either of them today.

As he left his room, the smell of hot coffee wafted through the air, inviting him to make a much-needed visit to the dining room. The housekeeper must be reading his mind.

"Good morning, Shay", Rigel said upon entering the room, greeting the housekeeper. She sat at one of the tables, a steaming mug of coffee in one hand.

"A good morning to you, too, Mr Nebula", the Kelvic responded, yawning. "May I get you anything to eat?"

"Just a good mug of coffee will do, thank you", Rigel replied, sitting down. "And please call me Rigel."

A few chimes later, with the dawn rest at an end, Rigel made his way through the Surya Plaza. He held a note in his hand, given to him by Shay upon leaving the Solar Winds. Oddly, when he had enquired about training, the Kelvic had given him a note that seemed to lead him to a place called Mhakula's Teahouse. An odd name for a training facility.

Upon arrival, he was met by a surprisingly odd setting. The place had been set up like a café. A few people were seated at tables here and there, steaming cups in hand and distracted by their own daily lives. And that smell... Tea. Rigel couldn't help but smile to himself as he realised that Shay had sent him to an actual teahouse!

As he was about to turn and leave, he was greeted by one of the servers who asked him to follow her and, before he could so much as utter a word, she'd walked off, expecting him to follow. He did.

When they arrived at one of the tables— it seemed quite cozy— she beckoned him to sit down and asked what he'd like. Rigel was tempted to respond by asking for their best cup of tea, but decided to enquire about his real reason for being here in the first place. If he ended up being answered with a negative, he could just play it off as a joke and enjoy a cup of tea. So, putting on his best smile, he just went for it.

"You don't, perhaps, offer training in hand-to-hand combat, do you?"

by **Luminescence** on April 11th, 2018, 8:27 pm

The server blinked down at Rigel before a knowing smile curved her mouth. "Ah, I see. Give me just one moment, won't you?" She motioned for Rigel to stay before turning and weaving her way among the tables to poke her head into the backroom, where the smell of tea was the strongest.

"Atsuya, there's a young man asking about combat training. He's seated along the wall near the door, with black hair," The server informed the redheaded woman. Atsuya looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"Is that so? Hm. Very well, I'll be out in a minute." Atsuya nodded, and the server retreated to continue working. Atsuya turned back to Guzo, but her grandfather made a shooing motion with his hands.

"No, no, go on! That is much more important," He insisted, causing Atsuya to cast her eyes upwards.

"It really isn't. He can wait a few more moments."

"Nonsense! Perhaps it isn't more important, but it's more fun, is it not?" Guzo chuckled heartily, and gave his granddaughter a gentle push. "Go on. If I were still in any shape to teach those lessons, why, I'd already be out there!"

Seeing no arguing with the old man, Atsuya shook her head, but she was smiling slightly. "Very well. If you need me, you know where I'll be." With that, Atsuya left the backroom. Her eyes scanned over the slowly filling room, landing on Rigel at the single-seat table along the wall.

She made her way over with purposeful steps, stopping at the table and placing her hands on her hips as she looked down at the man. "I hear you're looking for training." It wasn't a question, but a statement. "How much training have you had previously?"

Atsuya motioned for Rigel to stand and follow her as she asked the question, leading him back towards the entrance and down a narrow flight of steps right beside the door. At the bottom of the steps was a small, square room, sparsely furnished. The floor was finely polished wood, and the only furniture was a bench at the back of the room and a set of shelves that held some equipment.

"I am Atsuya," The woman turned to Rigel and introduced herself when they had entered the room, offering her hand to shake. If Rigel took it, he would find her grip firm and her palm calloused. "And you are?" She took the opportunity to size the man up, her pale blue eyes calculating.

He was on the shorter side for a human male, if indeed he was human; it was hard to tell sometimes, but he seemed to be. His build was on the lean side, but it was difficult to tell if he had any muscle beneath his clothing.

If Rigel had taken her hand to shake, Atsuya would suddenly tighten her grip and jerk him forward, twisting her body so that she pulled him into her back, his arm wrapping around her shoulder as she kept her grip on his hand. Provided she successfully caught him off guard, Atsuya would bend forward, continuing the yanking motion on Rigel in an effort to pull him over her shoulder and throw him onto the floor on his back.

It was all well and good for someone to tell her how much experience they had, but Atsuya liked to test her trainees. It was the fastest way to get a feel for their true level of experience and skill.

OOC :

by **Rigel Nebula** on April 12th, 2018, 2:24 pm

Rigel was slightly surprised when the server smiled at him, he had half-expected her to raise an eyebrow and tell him that he was mental. He watched her snake her way around the tables and stick her head through a doorway at the far end of the room.

As he sat, Rigel wondered who would be training him. He had been told that the owner was an elderly man who had a daughter, but, truth be told, he would feel slightly bad for having to throw a punch at either of them. He also wondered where the training would take place. This was a teahouse after all and they wouldn't have the customers get up for them to train right there. Well... He hoped not.

A few chimes later, the server had left that room to continue working. Before Rigel could call her over, he noticed that another young woman exited the room. The first thing noticeable about her was the look of her red hair, which she kept in a plait. He assumed that she must be the daughter that Lana had mentioned.

The red-headed young lady seemed to survey the dining area and suddenly stopped when she looked him right in the eye, then strode towards him. When she stopped at his table, Rigel nodded at her statement and followed her as she questioned him.

"To be honest, none", Rigel answered sheepishly as they walked.

They moved towards a staircase that Rigel hadn't noticed upon his entry into the building. They reached a small square room that had wood laid into the floor, with a bench at the opposite end of the room and some neatly packed shelves.

She introduced herself as Atsuya and they shook hands. Her grip was firm and her hands calloused. Rigel assumed that she was either an experienced fighter, or used to hard labour.

"The name's Rige—", he began, but was suddenly cut off as she yanked him forward, twisted her body and pulled him onto the floor. That was completely unexpected!

"You know", Rigel joked as he looked up, his sky-blue eyes meeting her pale-blue ones, "If you wanted me to come closer, you could have just asked."

With that he got up before she could attack him again, removed his cloak, put it on the nearby bench and got ready for training to begin, albeit rather hesitantly. She was a woman, after all.

OOCI decided to allow Rigel to be thrown to the floor. I thought it would be a good opportunity to just experiment with his flirty nature. Hehe

by **Luminescence** on May 19th, 2018, 2:57 pm

Atsuya smirked down at the man as she easily caught him off-guard and flipped him onto the floor. No experience with fighting? Well, he was in for a treat, then. The young woman blinked at Rigel's teasing words; her face remained unimpressed, but some colour rose to her cheeks.

She stepped back, extending a hand to help him up. "Are you here to flirt or fight?" She asked, tossing her head, her braid flying around her face with the motion. Atsuya watched him remove his cloak and approach once again, his steps hesitant.
"Your stance is terrible," She told him, bluntly.

"Your body needs to be ready to react. The longer it takes you to move, the more time your opponent has to strike. Bend your knees a little bit; loosen your posture, but keep your muscles tense. Like this," She demonstrated as she spoke, crouching ever so slightly and letting her shoulders fall loose, but tensing the muscles in her thighs and abdomen.

"This way, you're ready to react. You're loose enough to move quickly, but tense enough to put force behind your movements, like so." Atsuya demonstrated by suddenly turning on her heel, extending her other leg out into a swooping arc high in the air, the toe of her boot just barely whizzing past Rigel's face. Her foot landed on the floor with a thump, and she twisted her body around, automatically settling back into the same pose.

"Always settle into the ready stance after an attack. You need to be prepared to go again, or to block or dodge as necessary. Now, I want to see what I'm working with. I'm going to come at you easy, and I just want you to react," Atsuya spoke after a moment, appraising Rigel's stance with a critical eye. That was all the warning she gave before she lunged, slightly slower this time, and reached out to grab his shoulder.

She let Rigel react as he would naturally, allowing him to do what he wished and not blocking the move, instead rolling with it and following it through to get a better feel for his natural fighting style.

Once satisfied with seeing the way Rigel reacted, Atsuya bounced back a step, considering the best way to continue. "So, why do you want to learn to fight anyway?" She asked, suddenly. She liked to know the motives of the people she trained; nobody decided to learn hand-to-hand combat just for the fun of it.

by **Rigel Nebula** on September 6th, 2018, 2:48 pm

A mild sense of accomplishment sparked within Rigel at the sight of Atsuya's blushing. Though she played it off well, Rigel delighted in knowing that his comment had affected her. However, Rigel refrained from mentioning it. The slight sting on his behind from being thrown to the floor was enough to remind him that Atsuya could hurt him a lot worse if she wanted to.

Rigel paid close attention to Atsuya's instructions, being mindful not to take her blunt criticism to heart. He attentively watched as she gave a demonstration regarding the correct stance. Nodding his understanding, Rigel tried to copy the stance she showed him.

Getting lower, Rigel kept his arms up in front of his chest. He experimented with closing his hands into fists, but decided that it felt uncomfortable and opted for open palms instead. He tensed the muscles in his abdomen and thighs, as per Atsuya's instruction. Rigel swayed left to right, getting a feel for the stance. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable. A little more practice and he would be used to it after a while.

Having mainly been focused on his stance, Rigel barely noticed Atsuya's kick coming. He flinched as her foot sailed past his face, inhaling sharply.

"Woah," Rigel chuckled nervously. "You nearly took my face off..."

Upon her mention of attacking again, Rigel's muscles tensed in anticipation. She lunged towards him. He felt ready this time.

Taking advantage of the tension in his legs, Rigel pushed off the ground with his left foot, side-stepping to the right. When Atsuya's attack missed, he pushed with his right foot, moving back to his initial position, and threw a right-handed punch aimed for the face— he instantly felt bad for throwing the punch and tried to stop his movement, but momentum carried him forward.

Rigel's relief at Atsuya stepping back was palpable. He just could not bring himself to hit a woman.

Atsuya's sudden question brought to the surface the faraway, yet ever present, memory of his father falling in battle, bringing with it the pressing desire for power and vengeance— upon whom, he had yet to find out. Instantly, his mood darkened.

"It's just an interest of mine," Rigel lied, his face passive. "Why do you ask?"

He did not wish to reveal too much about himself. The less people knew about his past, the better. People have this bad habit of probing too far.

Closed Brewing For a Fight (Rigel)