Day 44: Sun Room (4th Shift)

[mizuhomaiden]

As soon as she had the chance, Sheena ninja'd herself out of the cafeteria and away from the conversation she'd been semi-forced to have. She probably could have just clammed up and told the boys to go away, but she'd kind of owed at least Endrance some kind of explanation. It wasn't everyday the embodiment of darkness pops up and delivers a

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[notachick]

Junpei rolled his shoulders and Okita's smile brightened a little. The boy seemed ready to learn, not only from his triumphs, but from his mistakes - an excellent quality, if not a necessary one, in all students. He knew how quickly embarrassment made a lesson stick, which was partially why he used it as a learning tactic. As unfavorable as it was, the idea that one day perhaps the student could outwit the teacher was a fair motivation. A moment later, he saw Junpei's hands coming up, so Okita closed his eyes, his smile fading just slightly as he concentrated.

He felt the pressure coming in and he pushed back, keeping his touch as light as it had been before. As Junpei moved, Okita moved with him, almost at the same moment. He was relaxing better now, which was good, but Okita had a good deal of experience in reading his opponents and feeling the way someone was about to move. It was in his back, really. He could feel the slight pull of muscle before someone decided to let go, the tense that came before pushing; and eventually, Junpei would learn that, too.

Which was why, when Junpei suddenly dropped his hands, Okita went with him after naught but a split second of hesitation. There was a dip in the boy's shoulders, ever so slight that told him which way he was going - just not how far. Okita decreased the pressure in his hands slightly when Junpei lowered his, pushing back fully again only when he was certain that Junpei had stopped. Then, he smiled again and said, "Tricky, tricky. Good - it's easier when you're leading, yes?"

[whos_da_man]

Damnit. He'd thought he'd get Okita when he dropped his hands down.

"Yeah, it is." Junpei brought his hands back up and tried again. This time he started to move to one side before immediately changing the direction back the other way.

[notachick]

"Remember that. Always keep the upperhand in battle - your strength will aid you, but your speed--" Ah, tricky boy. Okita felt that moment's pause before Junpei's hands rebounded back in the other direction and followed with him, raising one eyebrow. Again, at the moment of change, Okita lightened the pressure in his hands before pressing back again. It was a split second, a neglible change in pressure, but it was there, if Junpei learned how to feel it. He was a quick learner so perhaps he would realize it in time, but he was still a little tense in the guiding shoulder and that might hinder his ability to feel everything Okita did. "--will help you overcome."

After a moment of silence, Okita asked, "Do you know what I'm doing differently, Junpei-kun?"

[whos_da_man]

Internally, Junpei grumbled when Okita followed the changes.

"No," he replied. Then he thought for a moment. "Well... it's like you're not... assuming where I'm going to be moving. I dunno if that's the right word."

[notachick]

"In a way, you are correct." Okita opened his eyes and watched Junpei for a moment before closing them again, continuing to follow his motions.

"Your eyes can deceive you. Your ears can hear things and distract you. But your body-" He pressed a little harder with his right hand against Junpei's hand and then went back to the lighter pressure as before. "--will always know the truth. Do not try to read your opponent's face or listen to their taunts, feel what they going to do - watch their body and you will always be a step ahead of them." He paused and then laughed a little. "Now. What else am I doing differently?"

[whos_da_man]

Junpei nodded, then listened, then thought.

"I got nothing else. Maybe it's the soft touch or something like that..."

[notachick]

"You're getting closer." Okita opened his eyes again and patted his hands against Junpei's once before pulling them away. For now, the exercise was over. They would continue again when their lessons actually started, but until then? "I want you to go over what we did in your head. Next time we meet, we'll start with this before moving onto footwork, speed and accuracy tests."

With that said, Okita stepped back and put his hands behind his back. "Try to think over what I did differently from you. Don't think too hard, but just remember this exercise. The softer touch is, however, part of it."

[whos_da_man]

Opening his eyes, Junpei nodded, though his expression was still screwed up in thought. If the soft touch was part of it, what was he missing? Okita couldn't expect him to read minds, did he? As cool as that power would be, Trismegistos didn't have that.

"Okay, sensei," the teen replied. "I will. Where will I meet you tomorrow?"

[notachick]

Ah, how he missed seeing this - the look of concentration and confusion, watching his students try to puzzle out his question, anticipating the growth they'd undergo when they grasped it. Perhaps by the next time they met, he'd have a better understanding, or maybe he'd be more frustrated. Either way, he had his homework and Okita had a good idea about what to teach him now and how to run future lessons.

"I'm in M63, but my roommate may be in that night. If possible, come and meet me there. We may need to move to the hall or to a different room." If at all possible, Okita wanted to avoid the hallways, if only because he didn't want anything attacking them in the midst of their practice. Even if Junpei was experienced in fighting, his students were his responsibility, and he would fight and kill to protect them. But that didn't mean he wanted to. Scaring Junpei off by showing him Okita's darker side was exactly what Okita wanted to avoid. "If you cannot find armor, I'll wrap the pillow around your chest and secure it with a tie. Anything that can be used to soften a blow is good enough - and I hit hard enough to bruise through metal plating, so be ready for that."

[whos_da_man]

"Gotcha," Junpei replied, his face breaking out into a bit of a smile. "It shouldn't be hard getting there and I've got a good idea on some armor. I'll see you then."

And maybe he'll have figured out what Okita did differently by then.

[notachick]

It was good to see Junpei's smile come back, and Okita returned it easily, stepping out of his role as teacher. The shift was just about over and he needed to check for his assignment, then return to his room and ready himself for the night. Taking another step back, Okita bowed to Junpei and then said, "Then I'll await you tomorrow. Please inform me over the board if anything should go wrong. I advise you, however, to use my other name - Kaneyoshi or simply Sensei, in case someone who wishes to interfere with me should appear. My room must be kept a secret as well, for...other reasons."

Otherwise, he couldn't think of anything particularly important to tell Junpei. Oh! Except for-- "And, of course, don't forget your practice stick." He laughed and pulled his hair down, shaking his head to loosen the strands a little more easily. "That would be silly for me to forget to mention!"