Together, Ann, Lady Elissa, and Julie make their way to London where they will learn more about Angolan Capoeira by attending a concert to be held in Tottenham, only a trainride away.

"I've only been to the center of London before" Elissa said as they looked out of the windows on the train "I think the only thing I know about Tottenham is that it has a football club. Oh... and it's a bit rough. Two main gangs I think. The 'Frontliners' who just rebranded into the 'Tottenham Boys' and the Broadwater Farm Posse" Elissa clearly knew a lot more about 'the whos who of gangs' than she did about general geography "They are both bad news. But they aren't fighting each other at the moment, so we should be good. You know I heard a rumour that the Tottenham boys are rumoured to use magic. But we know that's riddiculous right?"

Fortunately the train stops at Tottenham Hale before it reaches Liverpool Street and when they ask the man who checks their tickets, the Capoeira display/concert is taking place in Down Park.  He gives simple directions "Out of the station, across the car park, through the bus stands, across the road and down Ashley Road.  You can't miss it."

https://www.google.com/maps/pl...5915825!4d-0.0621596

Ann got out of the train, happy to be away from the smell of stale tobacco.

"If this is The Age of the Train then I'm looking forward to whichever age is coming next. And I don't think we need worry about a couple of gangs anymore. Not given who we are. So I guess it's this way, given when the conductor said. I don't know London either, unless you're going to count a school trip to the Natural History Museum when I was eight."

"Julie, do you know London at all?"

PM

As Julie was being quiet, Elissa answered for herself

"The bit of London I know is ... well .. two bits. Camden and Westminster. And the route between them. Camden market is... you have to go there to beleive it. And I used to go to Westminster when I was a kid with my dad sometimes."

"Here... no idea. Just what I've heard. And what I've heard is 'just be a bit careful but you'll probably be alright. Especially us being us"

It's a short distance from Tottenham Hale station to Down Park.  Ashley Road is a run down industrial estate that has seen better days, probably when Prince Albert was still alive.  The women can hear the sound of music ahead.  It's not what Elissa would usually expect from a Capoeira display.  It's like a mashup between Samba, Burundi Beat and Rock n Roll.

"Well that's new" Elissa said obviously listening to the music. "I like it. Someone has an idea and is running with it. Good for them. I wonder what it's like to 'play' to." her use of the word play obviously meant 'to get into the Roda'. "Come on Ann... lets see what this is like. I was expecting a club but we have a stage. Maybe it's cool, maybe not... we'll see."

"Bom dia Senhoras", said the lithe, sleek, dark skinned African man checking tickets.  "Are you here for the music or the roda?"

He gives directions depending on the answers. The field is about 15 acres with a tarmac path running diagonally through the middle of it.  Along the southern edge, there is a row of shade, providing shade. There is a stage set up in the middle of the Southwestern half of the park while to the North East, several enclosures have been roped off to mark the borders between rodas (there are seven of them) and audience.

The afternoon is young.

"Can we say both?" Elissa said with a laugh. "But mainly the Roda. We'd like to play if it isn't too rough. Are we playing Angola, Regional or a bit of both?" she cocked her head to listen to the music "Or like the music are we inventing our own?"

"My friends new but I'm a Professor under Contra-Mestre Gordinho. We're taking a look to see if she likes it: we don't have a club in Cambridge at the moment"

The man nodded.  "There's a changing room in back of the stage.  Tell them Joao sent you.  Did you bring your own costumes or will your friends need to borrow?  Either way they can help you out."

"Costumes? Can't we just wear our normal clothes? You didn't mention costumes, Elissa. Maybe I should have asked more questions."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Let's go find the changing rooms then." As she spoke, she tried to get a peek at the stages. "It's what we're here for. So Elissa, have you actually taken part on one of those stages in front of all those people?"

"Well I normally call it a uniform. It's just cotton pants and a T shirt. We use a rope instead of a belt. It's not like the Japanese stuff. In Karate or Judo the white belt is the starting belt, in Capoeira it's the 'top rank'. Only maybe ten people in the world have a white rope."

"You can play in your own clothes of course... but you might get sweaty or dirty. So it's not going to hurt to get changed. Playing in your own clothes says 'I am a beginner' so probably they will be more careful with you. Up to you I think. I'd get changed. It's a 'respect' thing. But it's not a big one"

"Oh we need to take shoes off. Even if you are in your normal clothes you should be barefoot"

"OK, I'll wear the uniform. And go barefoot. If a white belt is the best, do we start as black belts?"

As she led the way towards the changing room, she added, "Tell me if I'm doing too well when I take part. I can get carried away when I'm enjoying myself, but I don't want to accidentally do too well. For one night only, I am not the Slayer, but an ordinary girl who isn't super strong or agile. Have you had any problems with that, Elissa? What with you not being a normal human either."

"The ropes depend on the club. Mines Green, Yellow and Blue. Starting colours are usually something like one or two of those colours. Rules vary. If I was you I'd just not wear one. Tell's people you are a beginner and then they'll explain what they are doing. There's some ritualistic bits that they won't do. I don't mean magic...I mean 'a set piece'."

Elissa sighed at the question. "Yeah. So now I don't fight. Not for real. I don't go behind the Apollo on a saturday night.Just after... I ... I don't know what the word is. Just after I got strong... I was dissed by this kid. Fucking idiot. Twice my weight and he wanted to prove he was hard. I could take him with my hands behind my back before I got tough. But... I didn't know how strong I was. I put him in hospital. Nearly killed him. If I hadn't pulled my punch a bit he'd be dead. There were a load of witnesses and he threw the first punch. But that's not the point is it?"

"In the Roda though... it's all non contact, if you want it to be. It probably won't be for me: they'll want to show how tough they are and that their school is better than mine. I'm young to be a Professor so they will want to test me. Probably be friendly: but I'll have to be careful." Elissa grinned "Wouldn't want it any other way. It's the closest I can get to a good blarney. There's a thing in Capoeria called 'Malifica'. And I love it. There'll be come bruises... but friendly ones. And some of them might be on me... but hey it's like the mosh pit. Glorious"

"OK, I'll go belt-free and try to make no contact. I certainly don't want to put anyone in hospital, so it's good that we're both aware of our strength these days - no chance of accidentally putting someone in the grave."

"And I'm not worried about bruises. I don't bruise easily anymore, which stops me having to explain things to my parents. Even when I do, I recover very quickly

As they reached the changing room, she said, "There's three of us. Two beginners and one professor. Joao said that you'd have costumes for us?"

The woman behind the counter nods and hands out two uniforms for Julie and Ann.  Each consists of white trousers, red blouse and no belt or a beginners belt (unusually it's red and yellow rather than the colours of the Brazilian flag - perhaps it's from the Angolan flag).

To Elissa she hands something similar but with a black belt.  "This is our second highest grade", she says, "We use the flag of Angola rather than Brasil."

"Probably best." Elissa agreed "It should be almost entirely non contact. Certainly less than the Mosh pit. Of course I've never been here, and don't know these people, so just be careful. But there's nothing here that's going to touch the Slayer"

"Ah that's very kind of you." Elissa said taking the belt she gave the lady a smile "I've always wanted a black one: It just goes better with my hair. I have a uniform though"

Elissa was very practiced at getting changed: most actresses were. And very quickly she returned. She was busy twinning the two belts together as she waited for Ann

Ann thanked the woman, took the clothes, and quickly got changed. Once she was ready, she went out to Elissa.

"Looking good there. So should we watch a few others, or do you recommend getting stuck right in?"

"What normally happens is that the Roda opens with some music. Maybe five minutes and the best person here will be sing a solo and play something. Then there's a rather chaotic process of going in. There's typically two queues: one for a left entry and one for a right entry. I'm going to hold off a few minutes to get the feel of the place. Friendly or aggressive... Competitive or supportive... what's the level like...that sort of thing. Then we should get 'stuck in'. Just make sure your partner knows you're new"

"There's like an obligation to help the other person do their stuff as well as the game. If they are nice they'll give you hints and suggestions. If you don't know what to do... you can always just give them a smile and a wave and leave. There's always a queue of people to go in"

"There are set pieces... called Chamada's. But only a dick would try that with a newbie. If they are dicks I'll signal and you just look at them scornfully say 'really' and they loose face."

"Mostly just enjoy it. Move your body. Keep your eyes open. Play along with the music..."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:26, Sun 24 July 2022.

"OK, so I should just go with it and let them know I'm new at this. And if my partner's a dick, give them a look. Any tips on avoiding dicks? As in, people who are dicks, not, uh, well, you know."

Ann's face turned a shade of red not far off her new blouse and she quickly changed the subject.

"So why don't we go find a spot to watch the music and singing. Then you can tell me what sort of a vibe you get. I'm afraid I can't do anything but sense vampires, which is unlikely to come in useful in the early afternoon."

"Hah." Elissa had to laugh at Ann's flustering "Yes. But you probably know all the advice I could give anyway, girl. If they try to show you up... remember you are in the Roda. And the audience is what matters. Showing them to be a dick in front of the audience means they loose. If they help you and the audience approves... they win... Most of it is controlled by the main Berimbau player with the music. All sounds complex but after about two or three times in the ring... so say twenty minutes ... it's all obvious"

"The vibe here though is just 'does it feel nice'. Nothing Darth Elissa. Or Darth Winters. If people are happy and smiling and cheering each other on a lot it's a nice place. If they look serious and intent on 'winning'... then it's probably not a nice place. Me... I'm good either way. I'd prefer the happy place and make some friends, but if they want to play silly buggers then they are in for a nasty surprise. I don't expect that though"

She reached for Ann's hand "Come on girl. Let's slay them" and lead her to the Roda


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnIP-Yy20YQ
Kicks off about 4:40s. Before that its just music and setting the scene

There are five separate Rodas today: three for fun open to all; one is a competition with a sign up sheet on a post next to the roped enclosure around it; and the other is an exhibition Roda where the men (and they're all men) inside are using machete's.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:07, Mon 25 July 2022.

"Let's skip the macho bulshit, girl" Elissa suggested. "There's three fun ones. If I didn't have uber-powers I'd be all for the competition. And maybe the machetes. But I do, and I don't want to particulary hurt anyone." it was clear that she didn't expect to get particularly hurt in any of the competitions. Or if she did she didn't care about it. "Besides if they get macho... they are probably going to open their mouths and diss me. And then I'd have to do something about it. And that's just going to cause problems. I'm in too good a mood to want that"

"Here we are" she headed for one of the roped enclosures

Ann let Elissa take her by the hand to the enclosures.

"Definitely not the machetes. Even in slow motion, that's needlessly dangerous. And if I entered the competition, there's always the danger that I'd get all competitive and go out to win, which would blow my cover quicker than Bond shagging the villain's bird. So just the fun Rodas, and I'll let the other person win."

She looked about wide-eyed.

"Are you going to go first? Let me rephrase that: you are going first. I want to see how you handle it before I get in there and make a tit of myself."

Elissa gave a laugh at the needlessly dangerous "Says the girl who fights vampires. They don't send people to the hospital or the morgue every game or the police would be over them like a rash. Training with metal weapons is cool, and we should totally do it when we get back. But not today. We might find some prick with 'tude who doesn't think girls can fight"

"Normally we fight with a barber's razor. Sometimes held in the toes which is fun as well. But the machete is a good weapon. When I went to Angola as a kid we all carried one: even me. Because in the jungle you need one"

"Right girl. Let's do this. Just enjoy it! If you get in one queue and I get in the other the first time can be just us two. You're a newbie and they will expect newbie moves. You'll make their jaws drop"

"I fight the vamps because I have to. Razors in the toes sounds like a good way to drop a shoe size. Let's stick to the unarmed stuff today."

So saying, Ann got into one of the queues, excited to see who she'd end up partnering.

"I have a toy razor to practice with" Elissa said with a laugh "But it's not sensible really. Just a bit of fun" Like Ann she got into a queue. Joining in with the singing and clapping.

Elissa is the first to reach the head of her queue and finds that her opponent is Edison, a small man with the physique of a middle weight boxer, the lithe movements of a trapeze artist and a complexion that makes him seem carved out of obsidian.

"Hey dude" Elissa said as she crouched at the boca-da-roda (the space at the top where the instruments were and where you entered the ring), greeting Edison with a smile before joining in with the singing. In this case a song in Portugeese roughly translated 'Once I was happy. I had money and girls*. Then I lost everything, but at least I still have my Capoeria'. She couldn't help but admire Edison's physique. One great thing about Capoeira was it was a great time to show off and have attractive people show their bodies to you.

Elissa crossed herself and touched the ground as was traditional, all the time ready in case this guy 'Edison' was going to cheat. You could never tell. She didn't have a problem with cheating in the Roda: in fact 'if you weren't cheating you weren't trying hard enough' but she wasn't planning on doing anything other than playing this time. She was here to have a good time and maybe make some friends.

At some unspoken signal: she was mostly waiting for Edison to move first as she was the visitor she and her co-player slow motion cartwheeled into the ring. She used her head as the pivot. Unlike most cartwheels her knees were fully bent protecting her middle ready at any time to intercept an attack or conversely sneakily attack. Half way through the move when fully inverted made a slow motion kick to give her co-player something to work with, the other foot still guarding and ready.

This was like a mixture of dance and jazz. Improvisation. There were set pieces, set moves, but anyone could break out at any time. Elissa just put herself in 'no thinking, just reacting to the music and the other player' mode like she would in the dance. With the exception that at anytime the other dancer might try and kick you in the head

Edison smiled a wide and open smile and watched to see what Elissa was about to do.  He noted her belt (his own was yellow,green and blue) and nodded, acknowledging that this could be an interesting display.  He was not here to fight but to dance and that is what he did.  With jeitao notched to the heighest and malicia at a minimum, he moved to match Elissa's moves and offered moves of his own all designed for a spectacular display in the slowest possible motion.

He nodded to the musicians and slowly but perceptably, the music, and with it the dance, accelerated.

It was good to play against people that knew what they were doing. And she was very relieved that this club wasn't full of aggression: she'd not been sure after the machetes. Elissa was in that half dance, half fighting where her body merged with the opponent's moves: taking them and making them her own so that she controlled the tempo. As a guest she wanted to give as well as 'win' so she took time to let Edison show off as well: as much as anything because it was nice to watch. Laughing happily with the joy of the moment she broke off saluting him and started walking around the ring clockwise in the way you were allowed to do to take a break before crouching down to the Boca de Road. It was up to Edison if he wanted to hand on to someone else or continue.


A level 5 success 'shes on fire' and I'll claim the 'artistic merit' for it if possible as this is almost totally dance

Edison grins and bows to Elissa and walks away to let someone else take over.  The crowd is almost ecstatic in its delight.

And then the someone else in question is Ann.

Elissa blew Edison a kiss and settled down until Ann was up

"Let's show them girl" Elissa said obviously on a high as she crouched and held out her hands for Ann to touch "Just the simple stuff we did, and then a few slow motion acrobatics. Think of it as a slow motion not very well choreographed so we have to improvise."

Ann is amused to find herself up against Elissa. She'd intended to hold back her skills to avoid drawing attention, but she was tempted to beat her friend now that they were paired. OK, maybe not a good idea. She'd take it easy and hope that Elissa went easy on her.

"Come on then Elissa, let's see what you've got."

OOC:
22:54, Today: Ann Winters rolled 13 using 1d10+12.  Acrobatics + Dexterity. – 13

That would be decent normally, but Ann will try to make it look merely Adequate

Elissa it turned out was not 'playing to win'. She was 'playing to enjoy'. As much as anything she was in 'teaching mode' because Capoeria was a long long way from the martial arts she'd seen Ann use. The whole foundation and requirements of it were different to both the Western traditions and the Eastern traditions. Africa had gone it's own way...

The secret to making it 'good' for the other person was to telegraph heavily and move with their attacks. She could also feed in some of the more pretty looking 'florios' which were just for showing off.

As far as normal mortals went the two of them had limitless stamina, but Elissa also didn't want to hog the ring. After a minute or two she broke off and gestured to one of the people crouching and waiting "You head back and start again" she whispered to Ann "And enjoy it girl. Just remember one of them might be tricksy..."

"Okay," said Ann, feeling less than confident. It had been one thing to do this with Elissa, but it would be another thing entirely with a stranger.

"You'll keep an eye on me, right?"

Why was it easier to face vampires in fights for her life than to do this? With a deep breath, she waited for her opponent. Or should that be partner? After all, this wasn't proper fighting.

"'corse I will girl" Elissa said "I'm more worried about them than you" The last was said in jest but it was a bit true. Ann was a Slayer and Elissa didn't expect anything bad to happen to her

The next contestant is a pretty dark skinned girl with her hair cropped short.  She looks to be younger than Ann by a year or eighteen months and hers is a beginner's belt. Her eyes keep darting to somewhere in the audience and back to Ann and then on to Elissa in a constant cycle.  She seems nervous.

Ann's heart sank. A nervous beginner wasn't the ideal match-up, but it would have to do. However, she settled quickly into it, doing her best to make the other girl look good. As long as the girl treated her well, she'd return the favour.

OOC:
19:14, Today: Ann Winters rolled 21 using 1d10+12.  Acrobatics + Dexterity. – 21

That would be Extraordinary normally, but Ann will try to make her own performance no more than Adequate, and help the other girl out as much as possible.

The girl moves hesitantly, clumsily and yet, with Ann's control of the dance, their combination seemed perfectly synchronised as though Ezili's nervousness was no more real than that of Willie Dixon when he sang the song, Nervous.

After Elissa's warnings about how some of the participants could be, Ann was relieved with the match-up she'd had. She shook Ezili's hand, thanked her and congratulated her on the match, then went in search of Elissa to catch up.