(open) miyagi-do gathering for new & existing students!

[miyagimagic]

Who: You, you, and you!
What: For members of Miyagi-do, those interested in Miyagi-do, and whoever else might end up there! (Visiting a friend, etc)
When: Some time first half of month.
Where: At Miyagi-do Dojo in Crenshaw!

MIYAGI-DO: A NEW DAY (AN APRIL LOG)

Miyagi-do has seen some unexpected activity in the last few weeks, but has also--fortunately--seen a return to normality. An upgrade, even, where the damage sustained after a student's accidental explosion caught parts of the dojo in the ensuing chaos now gone after hard work hired, with thanks to the builders and those who helped with funds.

Even the sensei of the dojo has recovered from his own injuries, welcoming students--old and potentials--to classes. Along with a few touch-ups to the dojo, there are other changes, new and old, that should be addressed:

1. A (SEMI-)NEW SENSEI

He's been around for a month now, but here's your formal introduction to Miyagi-do's second sensei, Sensei Toguchi. Sensei LaRusso would have introduced him as a...not old, but dear friend from back home who has also learned from the school of Miyagi-do back in Okinawa. Skilled in the use of sais, you may find Sensei Toguchi a different kind of sensei from Daniel LaRusso. But we'll let you see that for yourself.

2. YOUR VERY OWN SNACK PROVIDER

Truthfully, this is a figure who's been around the dojo since the start, doing exactly what he does now...but Daniel LaRusso would not be himself if he didn't take some time to introduce Hakkai to the class as the person who makes their snacks and refreshments. Because Hakkai deserves his thanks, and you cannot escape a dad man like Daniel.

3. ICE BRACELETS: A NEW FORM OF PROTECTION

Miyagi-do has always worked to help individuals with what it is they want out of the dojo. Sometimes, this can just mean having somewhere to meditate and to find comfort in your own body than to focus on the fighting aspect. But Miyagi-do always leans towards protection, and learning how to respond and to engage with danger. It works to help individuals learn how they can use their own powers in ways that they prefer.

And in his announcement for the start of April's lessons, Sensei LaRusso has a bracelet to share to those who want one, after he's explained what they are. They're ice-powered bracelets--not super powerful, but with proper training they can be used as a means of defence. Spread ice over the ground, freeze certain limbs to surfaces, or even use it to shroud an enemy's face just long enough to distract them.

Sensei LaRusso will show how to use the bracelets to manifest the ice, and Robby Keene will also help in demonstrations, as well as with students individually. Dummies and can be used as stationary targets, and are a great way to learn how to disappear the ice, too--especially if you want to focus on using them for actual living targets, which either Sensei LaRusso or Robby can help with (or, if you're really that into getting iced...!).

ENDING NOTES

This log covers the first lesson of April, as well as continuing forward if you want to add extra days and lessons! Please familiarise yourself with what Miyagi-do teaches. Newcomers are welcomed, and there will always be a place to get food and drink...thank you, Hakkai.

Feel free to make your own toplevels on this log, it's meant as a mingle for existing students and those interested in checking out Miyagi-do! You can hang around the snack table, practice some karate, meet the teachers (and food provider...), maybe try out the new fun ice bracelets or.. you know, you can always just hang out with Daniel's Omen. He's a good boy who will stop to get belly rubs from everyone. You can't reject him. Sorry if you sat down for three seconds and are now stuck with a dog on your lap. He will not move.

Comments

[miyagimagic]

[ Daniel definitely has absolutely no clue that something is wrong at first - not to this extent, anyway. He does figure that Peter is spacing out, or that - at worst - the boy is thinking about something unpleasant. Hence why Daniel is approaching him in the first place. He figures he can sit down with Peter for a moment, talk with him about it, in case the boy has anything that might be better suited to actually be talked about, rather than being allowed to run circles in Peter's mind unopposed.

.. but then things take a turn. A turn that's obvious enough for even Daniel to know what's going on here, despite never having seen the demon inhabiting Peter before. And it's not even like he's really seeing it now, but.. this behaviour sure can't be Peter anymore. If Daniel hadn't heard from the boy about the entire demon situation a few months back, he definitely would have had absolutely no clue what's going on here.

But this.. does scream 'stereotypical horror movie possession', right.. Like something straight out of The Exorcist..

The man takes a step back at the hiss out of surprise. There's a bit of fear, because.. god, despite knowing this was a possibility, Daniel wasn't actually prepared to deal with a demon. His shoulders move up, his body growing a touch more rigid, like he can't help but instinctively be ready to fight. (It's just what happens when you've been traumatized enough by people loving to suddenly attack you, okay.)

Though he doesn't take on any aggressive stance. Daniel's luck here may be that Johnny has always been the strike first type, not Daniel. He's certainly not looking to provoke a demon here.

And Robby had said Paimon can be reasoned with, right? M.. Maybe that's all he has to do here..??

Even though he's still wildly taken aback by seeing this behaviour in person now, but Daniel is trying to manage. Trying to be the responsible adult, calling out: ]

.. Paimon?

[ Please tell him he's not about to be jumped by a demon making Peter look like he's Spider-Man... He didn't account for this in his afternoon schedule.. ]

[possessum]

( The demon crouches down lower at the man's sudden movement, his tension — Paimon growing more tense in response. His throat ripples with movement, giving more reedy hissing sounds, like a snake quite literally in the grass.... He stays where he is, dark eyes never leaving the man, and then there's the sound of his name.

'Paimon?'

Paimon's name voiced aloud is always A Thing for him, an Important Thing, and it freezes him right there in place for a very long moment, certainly attentive to it. If there could possibly be any lingering doubts this isn't Peter.... the evidence is there, the demon hears its name and latches onto it.

.............And then he takes off running. Scrambling on all fours, an erratic, unnatural way to move, and fast in a way that shouldn't be possible for a human. He skitters off across the grass, moving across the dojo yard and....... right into Daniel's house nearby.

Sorry Daniel, this is certainly a thing that is happening.



And if the man follows the demon into his home....... he won't be anywhere in immediate sight. (Where did he go???? This is horrible!) )

[miyagimagic]

[ Oh, god.

Sure, you can expect anything from a demon, and yet Daniel wasn't expected at all for the being in Peter's body to instead scurry off into the opposite direction. So quickly too, even though Daniel is pretty sure no one would be able to move so quickly in that position. It's practically uncanny, and he would love to just leave this alone. If this was just some regular Trench creature, he'd just go home..

But there's two problems with that plan. First of all he isn't just dealing with some creature, but instead with something in the body of one of his students - one of the kids Daniel feels like he's got to keep an eye out for. And secondly..

.. well, he can't go home when that's exactly where the creature went.

So the only option is to chase Paimon. This is all happening too quickly to ask Robby or anyone else for help. Besides, Daniel is the responsible adult here. He's supposed to be able to handle this stuff, even if he feels incredibly out of his league.

So he follows. He runs into the house as well, turning his head to try and find where the demon has gone. He passes through the indoor dojo, the first room behind the door, and then further into the house..

It kind of feels like he's chasing a toddler, except incredibly more ominous than that. This being killed Johnny, after all. If Daniel isn't careful, maybe the same could happen to him, so he's making sure to move through the house with extreme caution, trying so hard to look for any sign of Peter.. ]

[possessum]

( Once he's inside, the demon is immediately scuttling around the place like some frenzied spider, but by the time Daniel enters, there's no real evidence of where he might have gone...... He could be anywhere on the ground.

....Except he isn't on the ground at all, anymore. No, as Paimon is wont to do, he's ended up scampering right up a wall and onto the ceiling. He often does this at home.... sometimes when he's upset, other times when he wishes to spook somebody, but sometimes also when he is just bored. In this case, he's mostly trying to hide from Daniel, which is why when he hears the man enter the house, the demon goes very still and silent, tense, pressing himself into a corner of the ceiling in Daniel's bedroom.

Staring down with wide black eyes, he waits. And while it would be difficult to find him at nighttime with darker shadows used to his advantage, right now it likely isn't too hard to spot a six-foot-tall boy crammed into a corner of the ceiling, limbs bent at angles as he keeps himself pressed there. Even so, the demon stays deathly unmoving, and if one wasn't expecting to come across such a sight, one would probably definitely be.... caught off-guard by it. )

[miyagimagic]

[ It's one thing to be looking all over your own house for a demon-possessed student and feel entirely on edge about it.

It's another thing entirely to enter your bedroom to check if he's gone in there, spot a strange blob of colour from the corner of your eye - the ceiling was never that colour, was it - and then look up.. only to spot said demon-possessed student. Hanging off the ceiling. Staring with that strange, strange look in his eyes.

Daniel's heart feels like it almost freezes up for a moment, definitely skipping some beats as he instantly looks so startled. He takes an instinctive step back - though it's almost like a hop, extremely undignified.. - and an involuntary sound escapes his mouth. ]

Ah!

[ That wasn't quite a scream, at least, but it at least was a Yelp Of Horror, that's for sure.. Robby told him this demon can be reasoned with and all, and sure, Daniel trusts Robby so much, but.. he isn't sure how he's supposed to reason with this living jumpscare. ]

W-What-- [ He tries his best to recover though, knows that being startled and vulnerable in this situation is not a good idea, even though the terror still lingers in his wide eyes as he stares at the demon. ] What are you doing up there?!

[ Is this a reasonable question to ask a demon?

Probably not. But what else is Daniel supposed to say when this entire situation is still making his heart race and his mind go blank? ]

[possessum]

( The demon's tense body goes even stiffer when the man enters the room, eyes saucer-wide as he stares down at him. For those initial first few seconds, he thinks maybe he won't be spotted, doesn't dare to move, just stays pressed there.... but then Daniel's eye catches the odd shape latched onto a corner of his ceiling, and the man startles like that.

Paimon flinches and presses up into that corner of the ceiling even tighter, lips peeling back as though readying another hiss. But what comes goes a bit further than that — actual words formed this time, albeit.... in the form of too many voices, multiple reedy vocals overlapping one another. )

THE MAN SPEAKS
THE TEACHER

IT SPEAKS

( He's staring wildly and intensely downwards, elbows bent sharply like he's ready to pounce. And then he says something........ )

I DO NOT LIKE THE MAN

[miyagimagic]

[ This is a horror movie. This is a literal horror movie that Daniel is now stuck in. These things aren't supposed to happen in real life. You don't see your students hanging off your ceiling bent like a spider, speaking in tongues, and then saying something that ominous while you know they have quite literally killed other grown men.

It definitely makes Daniel take a step back, heart racing with terror, trying to stay on the defense just in case Paimon does decide to pounce. The last thing Daniel would want to deal with is dying like this, let alone the possibility of one of the kids coming across it and getting traumatized.

But, even so-- Christ, what does he even do here? He can't believe Robby was out there acting like you can just calmly talk to this demon when that is the very thing the demon seems displeased with here in the first place!! ]

Listen, you-- [ Okay. Just breathe, Daniel. Just keep breathing. ] You can't do this to Peter in the middle of class.

[ Maybe this is his own way of coping. Talking to the creature like he's trying to wrangle an unruly toddler, rather than something terrifying. ]

[possessum]

( Listen— The Man tells him to listen.

Ripples of displeasure move through him, and Paimon twitches, finally prompted to move from where he was tucked into his "hiding spot", arms and legs slowly moving as the demon begins to.... crawl up and then forwards. Which means he's slowly traveling up onto the actual ceiling now, crawling his way closer to the middle of it. Staring upside down at Daniel, a growl rippling in his throat. )

WHO IS IT, TO DIRECT ME TO LISTEN?
BRAZEN
THE TEACHER IS BRAZEN

( Paimon please stop bullying Daniel, he is trying to protect Peter..... But there is a factor here, and that is that Paimon does actually have a certain Respect for Daniel, since he is a Teacher.... and even the demon knows that what Peter's learning here seems to be good for him.... He just got bored......

In any case, he has no plans to seriously hurt or kill the guy, but he won't hide his displeasure with those words, eyes narrowing slowly, tongue flicking around his own words. Can't do this to Peter? )

WHY CAN I NOT?

[miyagimagic]

[ Maybe he shouldn't be talking back to a demon.

On the other hand, Daniel has always been so bad at holding his tongue, especially in the face of perceived injustice. And after everything Peter has told him - Daniel can't help but see this as a form of injustice. Peter got a demon shoved into his body against his will. He's obviously so distressed about it. He's probably going to feel awful knowing that this happened at the dojo once he gets back to normal.

So Daniel can't just.. let this happen, right? Peter is his student. His responsibility.

He inhales, trying to make sure to never stand directly below the demon, even if it means moving around. Daniel makes sure to maintain eye contact though, or at least keep his eyes on the figure. ]

He will be upset.

[ Talk to him, Robby had said.. He can listen, Robby had said..

He's not so sure about that one anymore, bud!! But look, Daniel is trying this talking thing all the same, especially since he's very good at surpressing terror at this point. ]

You know that, right?

[possessum]

( Poor Daniel really will have to move around a bit, since Paimon is crawling around the ceiling, albeit very slowly — moving one limb at a time, slow and measured. Listening intensely, even as his energy continues to prickle and thrum with his agitation, and the lights in the room flicker a few times. Sorry to suddenly turn your nice home into a haunted house, Daniel...... )

I KNOW IT

( He confirms with a hiss, black eyes stretching open wide. )

MY VESSEL IS OFTEN UPSET
I WILL NOT CODDLE HIM EACH TIME

( Freshly irritated by the thought, his pace quickens again, and with that inhuman swiftness, he scurries to the opposite end from where he currently is and spits his true woes, here. )

HE IS SPENDING MUCH TIME AT THE KARATE
I DO NOT LIKE THE KARATE

[miyagimagic]

[ Daniel would like to point out that there's a difference between someone naturally getting upset - as anyone and everyone is bound to do at some point, really - and someone getting upset because the demon possessing their body is up to Some Shit, but he's at least smart enough to not voice that right now.

And instead focus on remaining in motion. Daniel is at least smart enough to realise his priority here is not getting attacked by the demon in a teenager's body over anything else. He doesn't even care that it might make him look ridiculous to be so constantly on the move with how Paimon keeps skittering across the place.. ]

Why not?

[ Not that it.. really matters why a demon is or isn't interested in karate. Even Daniel is not invested enough in karate to truly be wondering that. But it feels better to keep the demon talking, keep it focused on that. ]

[possessum]

( The demon falls quiet at that question, saucer-wide eyes never leaving the man. For a moment, he stops his horrible scuttling, coming to a halt somewhere near the middle of Daniel's ceiling and remaining there, just staring down....

The silence lasts several long moments. It's probably becoming uncomfortable (then again, what about this situation isn't uncomfortable....) when finally, Paimon speaks again, tongue giving that reedy hiss. )

I GROW RESTLESS DURING THE KARATE
I DESIRE....... TO DO THINGS

THINGS THAT ARE NOT THE KARATE

( Is this all just because he gets bored..... )

[miyagimagic]

[ It does very much come off as that, though it.. sure is a strange thing for Daniel to try and wrap his mind around, especially when he knows just how dangerous this demon can be. Throwing this entire fit just because it's bored, like a way oversized toddler..

Man, is Daniel ever going to need a stiff drink tonight when he reflects on today's karate lesson, that's for sure.

But for now, he's still in this moment - and this is a situation he has to deal with.

So he sucks in a breath, then spreads his arms. ]

Then how about we find something else for you to do?

[ Does Daniel feel a little crazy, talking to a demon like this?

Yes. Yes, he sure does. But it doesn't seem like there's any other choice, and besides, Daniel is a dad. He's dealt with unruly toddlers. One of his kids basically still was an unruly toddler until very recently.. ]

You can just tell me that directly, you know. No need for.. [ .. how does he put this. ] .. any of this.

[ Nailed it. How else does he summarize the weird hissing, the wall climbing, the just.. running all over the place.. This truly is a wildly dangerous toddler out of control at kindergarten. ]

[possessum]

( "We", the man says. Together. He understands the concept; oh, of all beings, King Paimon understands that concept. It's how he's meant to function, after all — with someone else.

He bristles again at the thought, this man is no mage, no witch.....! Does he dare to presume they could do anything together.......! .....But again, that other thought echoes. The man is a teacher. A teacher is important. A higher rank of humans.

Paimon stares for another long bout of silence that stretches on and on, Daniel's last words hanging in the air between them. If the demon is thinking about those words or affected by them, he doesn't outwardly show any indication of it... just staring....

Until, abruptly, alarmingly, he falls from the ceiling. It's with a dull and unpleasant thud, a long body hitting the floor and crumbling like a spider, but he doesn't seem injured, and in fact gets up again extremely quickly, scuttling again on all fours. It's maybe good he's off the ceiling, but it's probably not much better where he ends up, which is under Daniel's bed.

The demon presses himself flat so that he can fit and then squirms beneath the man's bed, shuffling around under there for a few moments before he goes still again. A pair of big wet eyes then open up and peer out from the shadows.... )

WHAT SHALL THE TEACHER PRESENT TO KING PAIMON, LUCIFER'S MOST LOYAL...? WHAT CAN THE TEACHER OFFER TO DO?

[miyagimagic]

[ Oh god--

Daniel definitely startles when the creature in Peter's body just drops down to the ground right that. Partially because it's so sudden, partially since he knows the demon is dangerous and definitely does not want to get that much closer to it, and partially probably even out of concern for Peter's body, surely it can't be healthy for the poor guy's body to be flung around like this..

It's definitely not his proudest moment, but he definitely stumbles back a step, only managing to catch himself in time before he'd just fall over onto the ground. God, Daniel sure feels like he's aging a decade right on the spot here..

Especially when the demon asks him something like this. Something Daniel has no idea as to how to answer. What would a demon want to do, other than.. creepy sacrificial stuff you'd only see in movies..?? ]

Plenty. [ Daniel manages to say, surprised at how his voice sounds much more steady than he feels right now. Thanks, whatever part of his brain is still managing that. He owes you. ] It just depends on what you do like, if you don't like karate.

[ There's a small pause, and then he adds, perhaps as a semi-offering: ]

Robby told me a little bit about you. [ Mostly since he's pretty sure that might land better with the demon than saying 'Peter told me'.. his opinion of Peter and Peter's activities doesn't seem too high, after all. ] But he didn't tell me what you like to do.