Scene #766:

Owner	Pose
Iona Hikawa	It's another day of intense activity for the Hikawa Karate Dojo: students of all ranks are very deep in concentration for their training, either repeating their moves by their lonesome or training with a partner. At the left side of the room, the dojo's sensei, a bald man with an overgrown beard that carries his age extremely well, is sitting cross-legged on the floor, watching his students train. Among those who train on her own, Iona Hikawa, a purple-haired girl who is currently alternating feints at the air and defensive postures, is fairly close to the entrance. As the sensei's granddaughter, it's up to her to greet new arrivals. Not too far from Iona, set against the wall, there is a plushie in a lilac dress with sunglasses and a big purple backpack.
Miya Sakamoto	* * * Two Weeks Before * * * Enji, a tiny beaver with a yellow hard hat, overalls, and thick eyebrows, sighs. "Let me put it succintly. On a scale from 0 to 10, where at the top there is the perfect Mahou fighter-" He slaps the tip of a fairy-sized wooden stick against the top of a line drawn on a little magnetic whiteboard: there is a vertical line with 10 notches, the top one marked with a magnet in the shape of a star with rounded points on its left. "-and here at the bottom we have a potato," The magnet on the left is, in fact, a chibi cartoonish spud. "-I'd rate you at a charitable one." A magnet with a chibi face of Cure Spanner (salmon-colored drill hair and all) does, in fact, lie very close to the potato, but on the opposite side, on the right. "I was just unlucky!", pleads Cure Spanner. "The first time I never fought before! The other time I got plushified by surprise!" "Seriously, Miya. You are the most pathetic fighter I have ever seen." "Give me another chance! I have it in me! I can do this! I CAN DO THIS RIGHT!" * * * One Week Before * * * A battered Cure spanner in torn clothes slams against the wall of an abandoned factory, the surface exploding into a massive vertical crater before the magical girl drops to the floor like a ragdoll. "...I can't do anything right...", she whimpers, one eye black and one cheek swollen. She closes the eyes; the fight has come to an end now, and the Used Car Lot Armflailing Inflatable Man youma prepares to deliver the last blow... "Fear not, for I am here!" The ground swells under the Youma, an area as large as a roundabout and as tall as a house; the Youma loses balance, and up from the giant molehill, a girl, a few years younger than Miya and wearing a costume in shades of yellow and dotted brown flies up. "Slice!" Two blades slash at the youma, who's pushed back. "Dice!" A fusillade of blade swipes criss-cross the youma. "Julienne!" Multiple vertical attacks push the youma into a corner. "And for may finisher... A SAULT AND BATTERY!" The magical girl holds her two blades, copper and zinc, and two massive bolts of lightning shoot out, pulverizing the youma and dissipating all of the Dark energy. "Potato-chan saves the day once again!" The yellow-and-brown magical girl throws a victory sign, with arced eyes and a smile! ^_^ V Miya gapes. Enji walks into frame, pulling the whiteboard from earlier. With squinty eyes and a pointed look, he stares at Miya, and gives the Cure Spanner magnet a flick, sending it to fly downards, below the potato, at a solid -3 or -4. Miya hangs her head. * * * Today * * * "Karate lessons?", Miya whispers to Enji, who's currently pretending to be a plushie on her shoulder. "I thought magic gave me the ability to fight?" "It may give you the ability to perform techniques when transformed," Enji explains, "But your emotions are out of control, and your mind has the overseeing capabilities of a headless chicken. You need to learn focus and discipline." "I'm a teenager! What did you expect?!" "I'm expecting you for Karate lessons. I've been looking around, and I think this dojo will be a good fit for teaching you to control your emotions... but now, hush. We're approaching." And so, the mundane, brown-haired and ponytailed Miya stops looking down at her shoulder, and steps into the dojo. "Excuse me... er...", she begins, with the telltale hesitation of the newbie who's unsure of how to sign up.
Cho Konishi	Cho Konishi was uhhh... coming for different reasons than her fellow cure. "I don't see why you need to even look at OTHER trainers," Wuwu objected from her book bag. "I am Wukong, the greatest trainer who has ever lived!" "I've read your book," Cho said. "Literally. I have actually read your book. Try again." "Okay, but I know a lot more than any of them would," Wuwu said with a huff. "But you are, in fact, an awful teacher," Cho said. "Also, you're mean sometimes when you train with me." "How else do you expect to use your tail if I don't give you lessons with it?" Wuwu asked. "Making me get you snacks is not 'training with my tail!'" Cho practically yelled, then went scarlet when people stared at her. She then QUICKLY got off the bus, power-walking awayyyyyy. "Listen, I just want to see. Okay?" Cho said. "I'm not replacing you, I'm just... scoping out the competition." "You know all they teach you is things like 'discipline' and 'managing yourself' and you already do that. You need to STOP being so disciplined all the time, believe in yourself a bit more, cut loose when NOT Cure Wukong and--" "Karate also teaches confidence," Cho said. "Which, frankly, after dealing with you all day is something I could desperately use." "Heh, yeah, you really aren't--" His words were cut off when she stuffed him into her bag, hard, closing it. "Now remember. You PROMISED this time to not cause any trouble. Okay? So please. Just this once? Don't make me feel stupid?" "Fine, fine..." Wuwu muttered, his eyes peering out from within one of the flaps of the bag. She stepped inside, just a little behind Miya and... Gave her a small smile. "Scoping out the competition too, huh?" she asked in a playful, somewhat nervous way before giving a gentle chuckle.
Iona Hikawa	The arrival of the girls turns both Iona's and Sensei Hikawa's heads towards the entrance, the former stopping her training and giving a slight bow of the head towards the latter. The purple-haired girl walks towards Miya and Cho, the stern expression on her face replaced by a smile. "Welcome to the Hikawa Karate Dojo. I'm Iona Hikawa, the sensei's granddaughter. I provide the introduction to the Dojo, so forward any question you have to me." She turns towards the hesitant Miya, presuming her to be new at the practice by her behaviour, though she is actually looking curiously at the plushie on her shoulder. "Yes, go ahead and ask. You may want to set your plushie against the wall", she says pointing to where Glasan is resting, that for her part is also interested in the presence of Enji. About Cho's comment, Iona has only thing to say. "The Hikawa Karate Style is primarily a defensive style, and that's what all the new pupils here focus their effort on, while offensive practice is reserved with more experience. Is that something you were looking for?" she asks, a slightly more severe timbre to her voice.
Miya Sakamoto	Miya smiles back at Cho. A new girl approaches! She smiles! Time to initiate the friendship protocols? Is it a mere passing greeting? AAAAH! ALERT! ALERT! Yup. Emotions all over the place. Keep calm, Miya! There! She made the first move! She asked a question! Now... just reply! "C-competition?", asks Miya, confused. "I... I have no idea what you are talking about? Are there maintenance techs around here?" Then, Iona instructs her to set down her plushie. "Oh? Oh!" Miya looks down at Enji, and hesitates for a moment. At first she seems reluctant to part with her mascot, but then she says, "...Right. Right!" Complying Iona's instructions, Miya places Enji down right next to Glasan. She gives the beaver one last glance, before returning to face Cho, and most importantly Iona, again. After the latter gives her explanation, Miya continues, "So, uhm... I was... I was wondering how to... sign up for... lessons. Martial arts. I am not sure about attack or defense. Was looking for... you know... discipline. Self-control."
Cho Konishi	Cho Konishi glanced towards the plushies and... oh! They kind of reminded her of Hime's. Well, the one on the wall. It was cute. "Your plushy is very cute," Cho said. Annnnnd barely resisted saying 'like you!' She blamed Wukong for that. 100% Wuwu. However, at the comment on 'defensive' style, her eyes almost lit up. "YES! Learning defensive techniques would be great! My other mentor only wants to teach me offensive stuff!" "Defensive? Wuk--" A voice from her bag called. She urked and her hand disappeared into it a moment later. "Sorry, sorry, my cell phone." Wuwu lasted a whole 20 seconds this time! A new record! Why did she bring him again? Oh. Right. Kind of the source of her powers and stuff. She then glanced towards Miya and shook her head. "And uhhh, no. I was just making a joke. Cause... watching," she said sheepishly. She then glanced back towards Iona. "I don't suppose any of your uhhhh... lessons would cover like... oh... I know it likely sounds silly but uhhhh... say... defensive techniques with a stick? If someone like, tried to uhhhh... come at you with a knife... or a sword... or a hammer... or a.... I mean, purely hypothetical... tree?" she asked, reaching up to scritch her chin a little. Totally just playing. Yup. Definitely nothing to look into too closely here.
Iona Hikawa	Iona has seen plenty of people with nerve issues, so she is moved to provide some reassurance when Miya starts showing more of her anxiety. "That's all right", Iona says in a conciliatory tone. "We accepts newcomers from everywhere, and we strive to great lengths in order to provide them with a direction. It's not an easy path, but everyone gets there." Iona is clearly invested in giving Miya an infusion of confidence. "For one, your only competition here will be with yourself", Iona says, using that word as a springboard for the next part of her speech. "Other students are either fellow trainees or tutors, and everyone here wants to see you succeed, so don't be afraid to ask for help." Iona looks at Glasan for a quick second when Cho compliments the plushie, before setting her gaze back on the pinkette. "It's a memento", the purple-haired girl chooses to reply with, not dropping her warm tone any. She is at least glad about Cho's enthusiasm. Too many new students want to practice karate because it looks cool and want to skip to learn how to attack. Though her next request leaves her slightly perplexed. "Defensive techniques with a stick?" she repeats, wondering what kind of background Cho comes from for that kind of request. "It's not something we do often or recommend, but that's an optional part of the course too, open to beginners too. But you wouldn't ask about it if you were a beginner", Iona points out. She pays no mind to the voice from Cho's bag for the time being, merely telling her about where to place it. "About your bag, you can either place it against the wall, or close it in one of our lockers. I suggest we head to our changing rooms for now. All our uniforms are there." Iona starts moving, and if the other two girls follow her, they will find themselves in a normal changing room, if very austere-looking, green benches the only touch of colour among the wardrobes with fresh uniforms and the rows upon rows of lockers.
Cho Konishi	Cho Konishi nodded, eying it for a moment. A memento... she wondered if whoever gave it to her had it custom made by Hime, or one of her friends? That'd make sense. "Err, yeah. A bo staff, I guess. My uhhh... last mentor was very, very particular about that. But he didn't teach me much of the defensive stuff and I've mostly really been learning that on my own to... not... a lot of success," she said sheepishly. It turned out when your mentor was immortal he tended to not entirely care about things like 'defense' and the like. "Oh, I'll be there in one minute, just gotta drop off my bag and make sure my uhhh, phone, doesn't disturb anybody." She then quickly made her way to the wall, glancing down at the dolls... nope. Dolls. Definitely dolls. She then pulled her bag off and opened it. "Please, Wuwu," she whispered. "Just let me try, okay? You promised." "You don't need defense," Wuwu objected. "Wukong doesn't--" "Well, maybe Cure Wukong does," Cho snapped. "Because unlike Wukong, Cure Wukong isn't immortal and maybe she's tired of dying all the time. Just behave or I swear this is the last time I take you anywhere. I don't care if it means my powers will be weaker, you got it?" Before he could object, she slammed the bag shut and dropped it next to the dolls, before racing after the other girls. "Sorry for the delay," Cho said before quickly looking around the uniforms before finding one that was her size and racing to a more isolated area to change, trying to get it done quickly to catch up. Meanwhile... a long monkey's tail was starting to iiiiiiinch its way out of Cho's bag... moving towards other bags against the wall... Going directly past the two 'plushies'.
Miya Sakamoto	"Watching? How- how long have you been watching?!", Miya asks Cho at first, startled as well. Did Cho see her talking with Enji, earlier? Thankfully, Iona's guidance proves providential for calming down the nervous Miya. One can see it, with every single one of Iona's word, the brunette's tenseness dissipates, her shoulders relax, her back straightens, and her fists, previously raised in front of her like a tiny t-rex, lower to her side, as open hands. Your only competition will be with yourself, said Iona. That... that reminds her of a dream... there was... there was... her... fighting another Cure Spanner... and... Coco in her castle? And... a jacuzzi in the savannah? And a hippo... hippo... something... Miya frowns. And shakes her head. She's done progress, but once again, that dream thwarted her attempts at remembering it fully. Like an elusive tuna. "Thanks," Miya replies, heading into the locker rooms as instructed. "It's... reassuring, really. To know, that is, that... you know, one can make it." Ok, where were we? Right! Proper etiquette! And Friendship protocols! When Cho returns, Miya reprises, "By the way, I'm Miya Sakamoto, 14, student at Radiant Heart Academy. Pleased to make your acquaintance!", and bows politely, first to Iona, who looks like will be her teacher (or tutor?), followed by Cho. "You're new just like me?", she asks the latter, after picking an uniform that looks viable, and starting to put it on. "That's cool! It's great to be new together. So we can... uh... support each other through the journey, I suppose you call it?" * Meanwhile, where the 'dolls' are. * When no humans are looking his way, Enji's eyes narrow, and follow the monkey tail; otherwise, he doesn't move yet.
Iona Hikawa	Iona is already in uniform, so she leaves the new trainees on their own while she waits (besides maybe pointing out the correct colour for their belts if they need the reminder). Once that's done, she leads them back to the Dojo proper, only pausing a second to give Cho the requested Bo staff. "I believe you are welcome to bring your own if you want. I will see with my grandfather if that's allowed, but there should be no issues with that. Using what you already have is better since each staff has its own balance." "Looks like we are schoolmates", Iona observes when Miya brings up RHA before completing her introduction with her school details. "I am in grade 8, and despite having a home here, I have opted to transfer into the dorm." Once they are in an isolated section of the room (still close to the plushies and Cho's bag), Iona turns to Cho first. "I recommend you do some simple swings with it for now. It's not what you usually have, so you want to get used to its balance." Regarding Miya, Iona takes up a position with both her arms distended in front of her, the hands both open as if in a stop sign. She demonstrates a circular movement, before giving Miya her instruction. "Repeat that movement, and after a while, I will make some simple attacks towards you. Your only job is to deviate them sideways." While she gives that explanation, Glassan is gazing nervously at the tail moving around, mini beads of sweat forming on her forehead, trying to stay as still as possible.
Cho Konishi	Cho Konishi would give a shrug to Miya. "Not long." She hadn't really seen anything... yet. "Cho Konishi. Grade 9, student council," she said with a small smile. Well, she didn't know if the other girls would recognize her from any of her work, but... who knew? "And yeah. New here, at least." White belt, for rookie! Of course, when she was given the bo staff, she nodded. "No, this will be fine." Absolutely NO WAY would she bring in a staff from Wuwu. It would likely explode. Or turn into a duck. Or crush the tile or... anything, really. "And really? That's great! We're all schoolmates. I'm in the dorms too, maybe we'll see each other." She nodded to Iona's suggestion... And then took a few swings... then she started swirling it around, spinning it in place, moving from hand to hand and uhhhh... Okay, she was actually pretty good with it. Not a beginner by any means. Granted, it helped that she was used to spinning a baton for gymnastics as well. The poor fairies were probably even more nervous... when the tail kept going past them... and into someone else's bag.