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

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

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.

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Daniel isn't the one who answers.

There's multiple reasons for it. The foremost reason being that Sunny is the one who told him about the contract and its terms in the first place, so if Daniel were the one to answer the question, he'd basically be talking for Sunny, repeating secondhand details when Sunny is right there to tell Robby directly what he heard from Mob.

(Because Robby can't have heard the full story, right? He can't have heard the same thing as Daniel, because surely it would have given him the same reaction. Especially when Mob is involved.)

.. there is, of course, also the smaller reason that the entire idea of this contract blasts Daniel's mind right back into a past he doesn't want to think about. A past of an adult with seemingly good intentions and promises of making everything better, only to manipulate you, to change you, to own you.

Daniel swallows, glances over at Sunny with a slight nod as if to tell the boy to tell Robby what he knows. There's a bit of a troubled expression in his eyes, but Daniel still looks over at Robby afterwards, like he has to see the boy's reaction for himself once Sunny speaks. Like he has to know Robby is still there.

Robby's question and Daniel's nod are enough to spur Sunny into answering. There was so much wrong with the contract. He had to do a good job of explaining himself.

"She probably told you what Mob gets out of it," he says. That's what he assumes, because that part of the contract isn't the problem in the slightest. "But what she gets in return is... Mob. All of Mob. Everything about him."

The idea still makes his heart race. As Sunny had told Daniel a few minutes before this scared him. "She owns him now, Robby. It's not... fair. It's not right."

What that explanation gets out of Robby is confusion: on his face, internally. Brows dipping low as he stares at Sunny, only a flicker of a look Mister LaRusso's way, but it's Sunny now who has more of his attention.

"What are you talking about? What does that mean?" How can she or anyone own someone? Mob was still going around the place, seemingly himself--which is exactly what Miss Makima told Robby she wanted Mob to be. To continue being. Himself.

He's going to need some more details, here.

Well, at least confusion-- it isn't bad. At least Robby isn't rejecting the idea of this being a thing that's happening outright. It just seems like he's trying to dig for more information, which means he's still got to be concerned about Mob. About the boy's safety.

(Or maybe it's just Daniel actually shutting up that's helping things here, who knows.)

Either way, the latter does remain valid for now, since Daniel will continue to let Sunny explain. The only thing he does is raise his hand to give Sunny a light reassuring pat on the back, since he knows none of these thoughts can be easy on him either.

Sunny wishes he understood more about what Makima could do, he really did. If he had a more detailed explanation ready to go maybe he'd be more convincing. As of now he just felt more frustrated than anything, trying to think of the words to say that would make everything make sense.

He furrows his brow. "It has to do with her powers," Sunny says, "I... don't know exactly how it works, but she has free access to Mob's powers now. And, I assume, Mob himself. He trusts her, so he's fine with all of this but... it's just too much of yourself to give to someone. Those powers are him."

Not his. Him. The powers were part of Mob, they were a part of him.

It's not really information he doesn't know. That was--always clear, right? That she'd be able to control them, make them do what Mob can't do, what none of them can. Robby can understand the concern, even if it doesn't put aside his own frustration. He doesn't want to grit his teeth and be kind; when this is starting to sound like a person's distrust over another than anything to do with him.

He's just a way to add to the suspicion.

"...You should be talking to Mob and Miss Makima about this and finding out what she can actually do instead of making up ideas in your head. You don't like her? Then give me a better reason why. Give Mob a better answer to what he's going through so he doesn't need her power."

He lifts his chin. "You could be doing a lot more to help Mob than doing any of this. I can't help him."

"Robby," Daniel says, the name escaping his mouth almost instinctively. It's a name that escapes him with a dual purpose, even. Because Daniel is a little disappointed to hear what he says first, telling Sunny to talk to Makima even though Sunny is obviously terrified due to this situation - from Daniel's point of view, anyway.

But then Robby continues with those last four words, and those just soften up Daniel's heart instead, making the name slip into something a little more worried at the end.

"If anyone should be helping Shigeo here, it should be me." Daniel is the teacher, after all. Sure, Sunny and Robby are both Mob's friends, but-- he doesn't want this burden on their shoulders.

Even less so when Daniel doesn't disbelieve in Makima's potential powers the way Robby does.

"But you were helping him. You both were." Daniel first glances at Sunny when he says it, but then looks at Robby instead. ".. you shouldn't put Sunny down." Something that's a little bit closer to scolding, though the angle is partially taken out by his gaze softening as he adds: ".. nor yourself."

Please, Robby. This is a dad pleading with you.

Sunny clenches his teeth, frustrated that Robby wasn't understanding him. Or wasn't believing him. He was believing some woman he'd just met over Sunny, who he'd known for several months now. Over Daniel, even.

He didn't get it and the agitation is seriously starting to bubble in his chest. He wasn't good at this kind of thing, confrontation. Sunny didn't want to be mean. He didn't like to be mean, but he was only human and he was on the brink of saying some things he might regret.

Without Daniel here he definitely already would have. His presence is the only thing that's seriously grounding him. There was someone here who believed him. Daniel was taking him seriously and wasn't dismissing his worries.

"I'm scared for him, Robby," Sunny says, a desperate tinge to his tone that overrides its usual impassivity, "It isn't about me liking or not liking Makima. Yes, I don't trust her, but I used to. I only don't trust her now because of what she's doing. I'm not making things up to get people to turn against her." Please listen!

He breathes out, exasperated.

"Then do something about it, both of you! Don't try and turn this around on me when you came saying I was brainwashed. Go to Toguchi sensei, I'm sick of hearing about this."

Because his emotions are only flaring, and he hates this guilt trip being pushed on him now. Robby turns in the direction of the indoor dojo, intent on leaving, if not with a last look on Mister LaRusso--the man who says he's his dad, the one who he chews on parting words for, the one he expected better of. This time. Now.

To know him better, or to give him a chance to explain before jumping to crazy ideas. But Robby keeps the words in his throat, doesn't let them go--and walks instead to leave them there and cool off.

Daniel can hear the emotion in Sunny's voice. It definitely stands out, considering how little emotion the boy seems to display on most days. It does make it very obvious to the man that Sunny really cares about this, that he really does want to get through to Robby--

-- even if it doesn't work. That much is clear as day. Daniel can hear it the moment Robby starts talking, when he hears the heightened emotion in the other's voice.

"Robby!"

The name escapes Daniel instinctively, perhaps even following the boy for one or two steps before it's like he's rooted to the spot he was standing on, frozen in place, when Robby turns back to look at him.

It keeps Daniel from saying anything else. Instead he just stares at the boy, reminded of standing in the supermarket just like this, at the tournament just like this, where he hoped so fiercely that he'd be able to convey everything he wanted to tell the boy with just a look. That he could tell Robby to please trust him with just that.

.. it's the same result as those times though. Robby breaks eye contact first before moving away entirely. There's a part of Daniel that wants to follow, but.. what good would that do right now? It feels like it'd just agitate the boy only further.

The man's head drops. For the moment it's lowered, Daniel looks so tired. Hurt, even.

But there's no way he could allow himself to look like that for long. Not out in public. He's very much aware of the fact he's still in the dojo, after all. Sunny is right over there. Some of the other kids are still around.

So Daniel sucks in a breath before straightening himself. He does his best to make his facial expression a little bit less upset, though it looks like the man is fighting a losing battle. He turns his head and steps back over to Sunny, not wanting to leave the boy alone when he's clearly emotional about all this too.

".. It's okay, Sunny. I-- I will convince him, somehow. You did really well in opening up about all of this, okay..?"

Of course he's not saying a thing about his own feelings here.

They don't matter. He just-- He has to take care of his kids, even if it feels like he's rapidly failing on the spot.

Sunny winces at what Robby says. Evidently there was no getting through to him. Not like this, not now. But it hurts. It still very much hurts. He swallows and glances down at the ground. Oddly though, at least it didn't go as badly as it could have.

No one got hurt. Perhaps that's a sad sort of consolation prize but it's better than nothing. They were all still alive and maybe... they could work things out later. That was what Sunny had to hope.

But aside from Robby... it's incredibly clear to Sunny how upset Daniel is by this. How pained he was by all of it. Even if he's trying to hide it, it's clear as day.

Sunny nods, brow furrowed. "It's okay to be upset," he says, "I'm... sorry things turned out this way." He didn't want to leave Daniel alone, either. He knew he was still a kid and one of his students but... That didn't mean that the man didn't need support, too.

"I'm.."

He starts, then stops, as if it's hard to finish that statement in one go. Daniel closes his eyes for a moment, then opens them again right after, exhaling a breath.

"I'm not upset."

The joke of the century, surely. Daniel can repeat that statement until he's blue in the face, but he's definitely looking upset. He's managing his tone a little better than that, but it's still faintly there in his voice too.

But what else can he do? Daniel has never been good at sharing these emotions, and it feels like there's even more pressure on his shoulders to be strong when he's in front of one of his kids, no matter how much of a mess everything is.

"I've heard worse," slips out of his mouth, but then Daniel shakes his head, trying to correct course with: "It'll be fine."

Sunny watches Daniel with a small, sympathetic frown. He thinks that Daniel is upset, though. It's understandable that he was. Robby obviously meant the world to him and this entire situation hurt terribly.

He hesitates for a second, before reaching out to put a hand on Daniel's arm in an attempt at comfort. "Just because you've heard worse doesn't mean this isn't bad," he says. He goes quiet for a long moment, glancing away before looking back again.

"I've always been good at listening. If you need to talk, you can."

Daniel opens his mouth, as if he's about to say something, especially since he is looking at Sunny as he's doing so, not stepping away from where Sunny's hand meets Daniel's arm.

But then he exhales again, this time sounding much closer to a sigh.

".. it's fine," he just repeats. Sorry, Sunny. It's not even anything personal - it's just that Daniel entirely lacks the ability to actually talk about these things. There's a part of him that might want to, but a much larger part of him that stops him before he can.

"I just have to fix this." No, wait-- "I will fix this. Soon. I just have to make sure Robby knows we didn't mean it that way."

Does he sound a little rambly? Yes. Totally. It's not just your imagination, as much as Daniel would like to claim it is exactly that, and not him nervously rambling just a touch.

Poor Daniel. Sunny regards him with a slightly sad expression. He understands not wanting to talk about things. It was a real vulnerability to put yourself out there like that. Sunny was sure that Daniel wanted to be strong for his students, too.

"Okay," he agrees after a long moment, removing his hand from Daniel's arm, "But if you ever do want to talk, I'll still be willing to listen." An open offer, even if Daniel never took it.

"...Make sure to take care of yourself, too, sensei." When you didn't take care of yourself, things could get bad. For yourself and everyone around you. Sunny knew that very well.

".. yeah."

Daniel nods. Sorry, Sunny, it seems that you're not getting the best of answers here - but it's hard for Daniel to pull himself together enough to initially reply with more than just that. He does think it's very kind on Sunny's end to offer, after all, and he doesn't want the boy to feel like it's for nothing.

But even though he wants to smile for the boy to reassure him, he just-- he can't right now. There's too many emotions spiralling through him, and none of them make him want to smile.

"You too, Sunny. I--" Daniel starts, then shakes his head, and continues: "I'll see you later."

And with that he heads off - vaguely in the direction that Robby headed in, though it's hard to tell whether he's really going after the other boy or not.

Maybe Daniel just needs to cool his own head off for a moment by himself too.

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