Li Haneul
Keme
University Junior: Mage
The enemy is nothing but images and illusions. Break the image and you shall break your enemy.
Posts: 85
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Post by Li Haneul on Apr 5, 2010 15:07:22 GMT -5
"Tighter angles," Haneul instructed, guiding his charge through the second half of the WuShu routine he had started with her that morning. "You're going for effective, not pretty. This isn't an exhibition."
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Nina Paem
Keme
Academy Junior: Mage
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
Posts: 427
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Post by Nina Paem on Apr 5, 2010 15:13:01 GMT -5
Nina rolled her eyes and kept her movements sharp and close to her center-- Haneul had been right when he'd said she'd been shirking her WuShu training in favor of other styles. Her size certainly lent itself to effective use of the art. However, she wasn't always satisfied with the style, which emphasized overpowering a larger opponent with multiple sharp, pinpoint blows. It WuShu didn't call for the same sort of agility that snake or crane style did, or the balance and coordination demanded by the drunken styles. But yes, Haneul knew best. WuShu was an important method to have in her self-defense repertoire.
That didn't mean she enjoyed it.
"Can we at least do variations, instead of this?" she asked. "I mean, Jeet Kune Do isn't too far off."
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Apr 5, 2010 15:22:33 GMT -5
Aramis peeked into the gym and smiled to himself. Yup, he'd guessed right. Now, this meant having to talk to Hanuel, but he figured he could manage that. Walking in with a confidence he didn't feel but was trying to convince himself he did, he headed for Hanuel and cleared his throat. Clear, steady, concise sentences, Aramis.
"Permission to interrupt the lesson, oh great taskmaster?" Aramis grinned, surprisingly relaxed. Probably because he was watching Nina rather than looking at the person he was speaking to. "I kinda need to ask Nina something while Keme isn't around. I figure you being around is one of the best ways to prevent that."
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Li Haneul
Keme
University Junior: Mage
The enemy is nothing but images and illusions. Break the image and you shall break your enemy.
Posts: 85
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Post by Li Haneul on Apr 5, 2010 15:27:55 GMT -5
Haneul smirked at "taskmaster." This turned into a full smile with his last sentence.
"Yes. That really is the most effective way to ensure the absence of that child," he said, his calm voice tinged with amusement. He looked at Nina and nodded. She had called Aramis her friend on more than one occasion. And even better, he wasn't Kemekin.
"I can step out for a moment if you wish," he told the lad.
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Apr 5, 2010 15:33:01 GMT -5
Aramis thought about that for a second and nodded, "Please. I'm sure you'll hear about it, but I want that to be up to Nina."
He raked his hair out of his face, still looking at Nina. "It's probably a pretty personal question anyway," he said with an awkward laugh, though his eyes looked seriously at the tiny girl.
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Nina Paem
Keme
Academy Junior: Mage
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
Posts: 427
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Post by Nina Paem on Apr 5, 2010 15:48:18 GMT -5
Nina rose from her stance and took the few steps that brought her over to stand by Haneul and Aramis.
"Ch`ejae, oppa," she said to the monk, indicating that she wanted him to stay. There wasn't a thing in the world she would keep from Haneul. She couldn't if she wanted to. Haneul alone was her family.
"What is it, Ara?" she asked, tucking her hair behind her ears.
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Apr 6, 2010 2:14:56 GMT -5
Aramis glanced at her for a moment then nodded, "There's someone... looking for you. He kind of has a family resemblance to you, Adler Lundgren. But he won't come out and say what he's looking for, and you've never mentioned family outside of Hanuel. I'm not sure I trust him..."
He let his voice trail off, rubbing at his shoulder again before he caught himself. How did he manage to make such a habit in only two months, honestly? And why couldn't he break himself of it? "Though he did compliment your method of tutoring Keme. Apparently it's actually working." He shrugged slightly, his head leaning toward the shoulder he raised.
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Nina Paem
Keme
Academy Junior: Mage
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
Posts: 427
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Post by Nina Paem on Apr 6, 2010 14:33:05 GMT -5
Nina blinked. She opened her mouth to speak, faltered, then closed it again. "Lu--Lundgren?" That her mother's last name. That had been her last name. What were the chances of another at Dunehelden having it? How common was Lundgren?
Reason told her that it was just coincidence. Her mother had never mentioned other children. Then again, her mother had never said much to her at all. And Aramis had said he looked like her.
"How..." Nina paused and swallowed. The idea popped into her head that she should find this Adler person. See for herself. "Do you... know where he is?"
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Apr 6, 2010 15:45:46 GMT -5
"He's the math TA. So probably in that area. You know me, I don't go looking for people often," Aramis shrugged again with a grin. "Feel accomplished, even if it IS Keme's fault I know you."
He glanced over his shoulder. "I know I don't need to tell you to be careful about him... so perhaps I should say be careful with him. I'm not sure what he wants, and recently I've been getting really edgy about absolutely nothing. But I wanted to tell you that he was looking before he say, found you himself and my instincts aren't just playing with me."
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Nina Paem
Keme
Academy Junior: Mage
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
Posts: 427
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Post by Nina Paem on Apr 6, 2010 16:30:52 GMT -5
Nina's brow furrowed. Then she smiled. "Thanks, Aramis," she said.
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Li Haneul
Keme
University Junior: Mage
The enemy is nothing but images and illusions. Break the image and you shall break your enemy.
Posts: 85
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Post by Li Haneul on Apr 6, 2010 16:47:06 GMT -5
Haneul pursed his lips to one side and turned towards the door, considering his next act. His first thought was to find this Adler and speak with him before allowing Nina to find the man on her own. However, doing so might make the girl angry-- she was bordering on adulthood and she knew it, and Haneul was having a difficult time grasping that she didn't need him to lead her now. As a sifu, Haneul knew that Nina was more than capable of taking care of herself and making her own decisions; but, regardless of her skill, Nina's size put a cap on the percentage of people against whom she could properly defend herself. Speaking with Adler first, on his own, would give Haneul a guage on whether nina would be safe speaking with him.
However, as a figure that was somewhere between brother and father, Haneul wanted to keep Nina in his shadow-- all the better to protect her. What if this Adler actually was related to Nina? Where had he been when Nina was on her own?
Haneul looked back to Nina and Aramis. The young man had just won major points in the monk's eyes for looking out for Nina.
What to do?
"We can go find him now," he suggested. The use of 'we' was a cue that voided any possibility of Nina going on her own. Aramis was right-- Adler's intentions were unknown. And from what the lad said, he had been acting rather suspiciously.
It occurred to Haneul then that Nina had mentioned Aramis and Kemekin being roommates. He found the humor to smirk inwardly, and half-joke to himself that he wished Aramis had spoken to Nina before that boy had.
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Apr 6, 2010 19:28:19 GMT -5
Aramis nodded and then bit his lip. "Actually, Nina... I have another question, and this one is a bit less... concerning. Before you go. I need some way to thank Keme for this...."
He gestured at his shoulder, shrugging slightly. "He did me a huge favor, and I don't know how to thank him. I thought maybe you could help me figure something out, you know?"
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Nina Paem
Keme
Academy Junior: Mage
No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.
Posts: 427
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Post by Nina Paem on Apr 13, 2010 18:31:06 GMT -5
Nina arched one eyebrow, chewing on her lower lip in thought. "Well...." She scratched the side of her head. "Gee, I really don't know. Um, maybe you could... I mean..." she sighed. "I've no clue, Ara. Can I get back to you on it?" She nodded towards the door, where Haneul was already waiting. "I promise we can brainstorm as soon as I've dealt with... this."
She took a few steps backward and smiled earnestly. "And thanks, by the way. Really."
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Aramis Aldin
Kitty Kat
Academy Junior: Mage
Beneath the trees my heart belongs...
Posts: 541
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Post by Aramis Aldin on Apr 14, 2010 1:48:49 GMT -5
Aramis grinned at her, "That's all right, I figured you would be as stuck with it as I am. Ah well, thank you. And you are welcome. I thought someone ought to tell you, no matter what his purpose is."
He grinned wider. "Hanuel's looking a bit impatient, better hurry. I will try to figure something out myself. If nothing else, I could probably get Rhythan to help me make Keme cookies. I know how much he likes them... it was difficult to keep the ones you gave me away from him."
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